KARACHI: The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) has achieved another milestone when experts performed the first paediatric open-heart surgery at the hospital earlier this week.
The patient, five-year-old Zainab, had a hole in the heart, a birth defect that allowed blood to have increased flow towards the lungs resulting in frequent chest infections.
According to SIUT director Dr Adib Rizvi, a team of nine doctors, two perfusionists (those who operate a heart-lung machine), and eight nurses worked hard to ensure safe and successful surgery and post-operative care. The procedure, which took place on April 26, took two hours to complete.
“Zainab tolerated the procedure well and made a remarkable recovery, being able to come off the ventilator within three hours. She has made an excellent recovery and was discharged home on Friday,” he said.
According to him, a lot of planning went into carrying out the first open-heart surgery at the hospital.
“Initially, a team of cardiologists and their support staff established a paediatric cardiology department at SIUT. The purpose wasn’t only to provide a new service but also to develop protocols and processes to make the new division comparable to any international unit which deals with paediatric and congenital heart disease,” Dr Rizvi explained.
The institute, he said, was a patient-centric facility aimed at providing free, high-quality care with dignity and compassion to all patients without any discrimination.
“The facility is being expanded, offering newer facilities and specialties to cater to the complex healthcare demands of the people. It has transformed from an eight-bed ward into an institute of urology and transplantation, also having services for robotic surgery and now paediatric heart surgery,” he said.
Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2023
