JEDDAH: A medical team from King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center has successfully transplanted a heart in a 23-month-old child, the youngest ever in the 30-year history of such surgeries in the Kingdom, an online publication reported Wednesday.
Qasim Al-Qasabi, the executive general supervisor for the facility, said the heart transplant program requires considerable skill and equipment. “The hospital succeeded last year in transplanting hearts for five children under 14. The youngest was a child of 11, out of 30 procedures in 2015.”
Zohair Yousef Al-Halees, senior cardiovascular surgeon at the hospital, said the 23-month-old suffered from heart failure at birth. His condition worsened dramatically and he became unresponsive to drug treatment. He said it was a challenge to find a donor of the same age.
He said global studies show that people who undergo heart or lung transplants have a 30 to 50 percent chance of dying in five years. “In the case of an infant, the risk stands at 50 percent within two years.”
He said the child is in a stable condition, with periodic visits and checkups scheduled.
Arab News
