Baby With a Hole in Heart Receives Heart Surgery Without a Chest Incision

• A 10-month-old baby with a hole in the heart ventricle was saved with surgery without a chest incision.
• The medical team at the Cardiac Centre of Al Qassimi Women's and Children's Hospital, UAE, performed the surgery using a new technique through minimally invasive surgery.
• The infant had ventricular septal defect and was transferred from Fujairah Hospital for a non-traditional surgical procedure due to multiple health complications associated with the defect.
• The medical team avoided the traditional surgery method involving a chest bone incision and opted for a procedure through a small opening under the child's right arm.
• This minimally invasive approach keeps the surgery concealed and less visible in the future, enabling the child to lead a better quality of life. 
• Recovery using such medical techniques results in swift recovery post-surgery, reducing the duration of hospital stay for patient care.
• Dr. Khalid Khalfan Sabet, Assistant Director for Medical Affairs, stated that the leadership of EHS honored the doctors involved in this case as this surgery is considered one of the outstanding and innovative medical procedures involved in complex pediatric cases, particularly in young patients.
• Dr. Hamza El Nadi, a Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, said, "Such defects are a grave threat to infants' lives. The occurrence rate of these cardiac defects in newborns is 1%. In such cases, the innovative medical procedure contributes to solving the child's problem and reducing the recovery period, allowing the infant to leave the hospital on the third day after the procedure."

Source: UAE, Zawya