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"With advances in medical sciences, babies with heart defects
have a better chance of survival and a near-normal outlook in life." This
was stated by Dr Muneer Amanullah, Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon at
Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), speaking at a seminar on 'Management of
Birth Defects of the Heart in Pakistan' held on November 4, 2006. He cautioned
that congenital heart disease remains a major cause of medical complications
and mortality.
Explaining open heart surgery, Dr Amanullah said that it requires
the use of a heart and lung machine that temporarily takes up these vital organs'
workload during surgery. The risk factor in these procedures may vary from five
to ten per cent and most cases can be scheduled on a routine, non-emergency
basis.
Dr Amanullah highlighted the two common heart defects: a hole
in the heart, and "Tetralogy of Fallot", which brings a blue colour
on the child's lips and nails. Both defects are correctable by surgery. He said
that in some defects, the heart has only one pumping chamber, and palliative
operations are carried out to increase blood flow to the lungs or heart. The
long-term outlook for patients with a hole in the heart and "blue babies"
is good with a near normal life span.
The seminar was also addressed by Dr Mehnaz Atiq, Associate
Professor and Head of the Paediatric Cardiology Section, Department of Paediatrics
at AKUH. Citing figures, she said that birth defects of the heart are common
and over one hundred thousand babies with heart defects are born in Pakistan
each year. Four to five thousand among them have serious defects requiring urgent
treatment. While most defects are simple, requiring easy surgery, some are difficult
with increased risk factors and a few require multi-staged surgery.
In simple hole-in-the-heart cases, the child may manifest symptoms frequent
pneumonia, or retarded growth. Such holes may have to be closed surgically within
the first year of life. However, some defects may be corrected without surgery,
by means of other devices. Certain serious defects such as severe coarctation
of aorta, and transposition of great arteries need an operation in the newborn
period itself. Dr Atiq was happy to report that all of the referred types of
surgery are presently available in Pakistan.
As part of its outreach programme and societal commitment to
creating awareness of early diagnosis and timely treatment, AKUH has organised
over 200 'Signs, Symptoms and Care' programmes in Karachi, Hyderabad and the
UAE, benefiting more than 40,000 people. Similarly, Aga Khan University Hospital's
Patient Welfare Programme offers financial assistance to those patients who
are unable to afford the medical cost of treatment. In 2005, 74 per cent of
all patients treated at AKUH were from low- to middle-income groups. Since the
inception of this welfare programme in 1986, over Rs. 1.4 billion has been disbursed
to more than 250,000 needy patients.
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