Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Going Under the Knife

Today was our first day of surgery.


This is Mohamed Ahmed Elsayed. She’s about a year and a half old, weighs 4.5 kilos and she won’t be able to survive without a heart surgery.



She is a Tetrology patient, so, she has a specific genetic disorder in regards to the structure of the heart. It’s a combination of four defects. The first issue is that there is a hole in her heart and Dr. Bailey has to patch this hole. The second issue is that the aorta, or main blood vessel, is in the wrong position and has to be fixed for the blood to flow normally. Third, the ventricle, or the muscle that pumps the heart is abnormally developed. And finally, there’s a narrowing of the arteries that take the blood to the lungs. All of these things have to be successfully repaired in order for the patient to make a full recovery and it’s about a five-hour procedure.


Throughout the next few weeks, we’re going to be doing more Tetrology cases than any other because it’s one of the most common defects. But most importantly, the Heart Surgery Team is trying to teach the Egyptian Heart Surgery Team to repair the particular defect. When we leave, hopefully they’ll be able to perform the procedure on their own.


As with any heart procedure, the doctor has to cut through the chest and ribcage. It’s dangerous and you never quite know exactly how the patient is going to react. But today, things went beautifully.

When she first came in, her fingertips were blue because her heart wasn’t strong enough to circulate her blood properly. But now, after a few days, hopefully life will be a little different for Elsayed.


We just have to wait for now.

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