KARACHI, Jan 12: In a rare operation for Pakistan, a tiny baby underwent an open-heart surgery on Monday. The operation, lasting four hours, was carried out at the cardiac surgery department of the Civil Hospital.

The baby - Aman Raza, son of Abdul Khaliq - weighed only four kilograms, the surgeon who supervised the surgery told Dawn. "We are very excited not only because this is perhaps the first time that such an operation has been attempted in Pakistan but also because the baby is doing well so far," said Dr Raheel Hussain.

The surgeon, who heads the CHK's cardiac surgery department, said he and his team hoped to take out the "tubes" from the baby's body quite soon. The surgery involved the closure of the ventricular septal defect, which in children was considered to be very difficult.

Dr Hussain was of the opinion that given the required dedication, major operations could be safely undertaken in the country not only on adults but on children too.