SHARJAH — As part of its efforts to provide the diagnostic and therapeutic services and to implement quality and excellence standards as well as achieve the leadership in the health field, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said that the Cardiology Department at Al Qassimi Women’s & Children’s Hospital has successfully performed open-heart surgery on a two-month-old baby weighing 3.5 kg born with congenital heart defects causing severe heart and respiratory failure and the inability to feed naturally. The baby, born after the mother suffered 12 childless years and a history of illness and the death of a previous child from congenital diseases, underwent drug therapy and careful observation by the medical staff. She was admitted to the pediatric intensive care department and was put on a ventilator after deterioration of her breathing pattern. Despite the high severity of the case and COVID-19-related hazards, the pediatric cardiologists decided to perform open-heart surgery to save the infant’s life. Surgery success and happiness of parents The surgery was a success thanks to the synergy of the efforts of the cardiologists, the pediatric cardiac anesthesia team, nursing staff, and technicians. After the surgery, the baby was removed from the ventilator inside the operating room after the vital signs of the infant were back to normal. On the following day, the baby was transferred to the pediatric surgery ward, where the nursing staff made outstanding efforts in caring for the baby and training parents on how to care for her at home and care for the wound and how to feed her. On the third day, the baby was discharged and left the hospital with her parents in a good condition and an improvement in her breathing pattern and her breastfeeding. For their part, the parents expressed their great happiness and gratitude for the efforts made by the hospital and the staff and their keenness to provide the best medical care. Proficient medical staff Dr. Safia Al Khaja, director of Al Qassimi Women’s and Children’s Hospital, expressed her happiness at the success of the surgery despite the current circumstances, while thanking Dr. Ahmed Al Kamali, head of pediatric department and the medical staff for their tremendous efforts. She underlined that the hospital is well-equipped to provide the necessary care for children with complicated congenital heart defects, thanks to the presence of competent and proficient doctors, nurses, and technicians. Al Khaja added: “Such medical achievements reflect the unlimited support of MoHAP, as well as the fruitful efforts of the medical staff, including doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensive care technicians, and technicians, in addition to the availability of the postoperative acute care. This has contributed to reducing the rate of hospital stay and bringing children back to their normal life.” Dr. Khaled Khalfan Sabt, deputy director for technical affairs, affirmed the hospital’s continuous support to develop the Pediatric Cardiology Center through the excellence and proficiency in managing and treating children with heart diseases in the country and abroad. — SG