Doctor Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, Deputy Director of Children’s Hospital No.1, informed that the mother terminated her pregnancy when the fetus was 37 weeks and 4 days old. After the successful surgery, the baby cried loudly and immediately received skin-to-skin contact with the mother and father.
The baby suffers severe congenital heart defect of pulmonary atresia and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). A direct ultrasound scanning of the baby’s heart at the operating theater showed that the level of the defected vein is moderate; thus, there is no need for further intervention. The baby was allowed to breathe fresh air normally right after birth and transferred to Children’s Hospital No.1 for continuous monitoring.
“Children’s Hospital No.1 will perform another ultrasound scanning for the baby within 24 hours after birth to update the medical status. However, the fact that it is unnecessary to carry out heart intervention in the operating theater is an unexpected success of the surgery”, commented Doctor Huong.
Being the direct person to perform the operation, Doctor Tran Ngoc Hai – Director of Tu Du Hospital – shared that this is the first case in Vietnam and in Asia as well. To prepare for this surgery, both Tu Du Hospital and Children’s Hospital No.1 had submitted a detailed report to the HCMC Health Department for approval. They had already discussed possible surgery outcomes with the concerned family.
“25 minutes after the successful surgery, the mother and father burst into tears. The baby then received skin-to-skin contact with his parents. The surgery team had been well prepared, and the transferring team was ready to move the baby to the Resuscitation Unit of Children’s Hospital No.1 for further treatment”, informed Doctor Hai.
At 10:35am, the baby entered Children’s Hospital No.1 as scheduled.
Doctor Hai shared that congenital heart disease is one of the most common types of birth defects, happening to 6/1,000 alive infants. This is the top 1 cause of fatality among defective infants in Western countries. The medical and financial burden to both the concerned family and the society is extremely high. The fetal cardiac catheterization technique, which increases the success rate of saving the infant right inside the mother’s womb has just been developed in the last 5 years and only a few nations like Brazil and Poland have successfully performed it.
Director Tang Chi Thuong of the HCMC Health Department said that interventional cardiac catheterization for young children with congenital heart disease is already challenging, let alone for infants or fetus. Yet the doctors in Vietnam have been able to do the magic and prevent the inevitable risk of death for the baby inside the mother’s womb or right after birth.
“The healthcare sector highly appreciates and acknowledges the non-stop efforts of Tu Du Hospital and Children’s Hospital No.1 in the aspect of early intervention right from the fetus to cure defects”, said Director Thuong. He added that this achievement has just been nominated for the 2023 Vietnam Medical Achievement Awards.
