Doctors tend to the baby after the surgery. — Photo vov.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Children's Heart Centre under the National Paediatrics Hospital has successfully treated a 15-hour-old newborn in Hà Nội with a congenital heart defect.

The baby was born on May 13 at the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology and moved to the National Paediatrics Hospital in Hà Nội for heart treatment.

Two hours after birth, the baby was in a critical condition with increased pulmonary artery pressure and needed a ventilator.

The newborn was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot. Doctors decided to conduct surgery and predicted the operation and intensive care after surgery would be complex.

The surgery was conducted by Dr Nguyễn Lý Thịnh Trường, director of the Children Heart Centre. It started at 2am on May 14 and lasted for five hours.

The baby’s condition became worse after the surgery due to increasing pulmonary artery pressure.

Doctors had to use extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to support the patient.

His condition improved in four days of continuously using ECMO.

As of June 23, 42 days after birth, the baby no longer has to use a ventilator and will leave hospital soon, according to doctors.

Dr Trường, director of the Children Heart Centre, said Tetralogy of Fallot is a serious heart defect during pregnancy. Most babies diagnosed with the defect will undergo surgery when they are six to nine months old. Surgery at birth is a rare case.

In this case, the baby had to undergo a surgery at birth, otherwise, the newborn’s life would be threatened. Even when the surgery is successful, the fatality rate remains very high due to the complicated process of intensive care, requiring doctors to have in-depth knowledge in recovery after heart operations, he said.

The successful operation and treatment of this special case were thanks to the efforts of a group of doctors and nurses from various departments, he said. — VNS