THE lives of 19 children have been saved through successful heart operations done at the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) last week. UTH cardiac surgeons partnered 24 specialists from Bambini Mission of Italy last week to operate on the children aged between one and 15 years. UTH cardiac surgeon Chileshe Mutema said in an interview yesterday that of the 19, eight were open heart surgeries while 11 were cardiac interventional procedures. A cardiac interventional procedure is used to treat heart patients by using a guide wire which helps to insert a device to close a defect in the heart. Dr Mutema said the operations were conducted from Monday to Friday.

“From Monday to Friday last week, UTH conducted eight open heart surgeries and 11 cardiac interventional procedures. One operation was conducted within four to six hours. These operations will enable patients to play like any other child,” he said. Dr Mutema said the cardiac specialists started heart operations in the country in 2016 to save as many children with heart ailments as possible.

He said heart diseases can only be attended to by committed, well-trained and dedicated doctors because they are delicate conditions which can lead to loss of life. Dr Mutema said from April this year to date, UTH has conducted 22 open heart surgeries, including the eight which were done last week. “As UTH, we have successfully conducted 22 open heart surgeries from April this year to date,” he said. Dr Mutema said there are many children and adults in the country who suffer from heart diseases.

He said this is why cases of people dying after collapsing without getting sick have become common. “As a developing country, we have a high prevalence rate of congenital and rheumatic heart diseases which are mostly affecting youths and children,” he said. Dr Mutema said if a child born with a heart condition is not treated, this can result in death at a time when they are at their peak of their lives and deprive the country of intelligent and productive young people.

He said there is need to treat congenital heart diseases as early as possible to avoid unnecessary deaths. Dr Mutema said heart surgery is the most expensive operation in medicine because the equipment and other devices used are costly. He said Government is building a specialised heart diseases hospital in Lusaka which will be dealing with heart ailments to enable surgeons to do cardiac operations more frequently