Latest news with #TetralogyofFallot
The Star
3 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Malaysian NGO seeking help for little boy Shao Heng who needs gastrostomy surgery and born with congenital genetic defects
The Persatuan Kebajikan Sayap Kasih Malaysia, a Malaysian NGO organisation, is now urgently seeking funds to improve a toddler's health. Shao Heng is a 5-year-old boy who has been part of the Malaysian NGO organisation family since he was just a month old in 2020. Over the past few years, the NGO has walked alongside him, through every challenge, never giving up. He was born with multiple complex medical conditions, including: - Cerebral palsy (due to an underlying genetic disorder) - Cyanotic congenital heart disease (Tetralogy of Fallot) with pulmonary atresia and collateral vessels - Severe developmental delay, along with swallowing and feeding difficulties - Despite all this, Shao Heng continues to warm every heart with his radiant smile. His strength and optimism inspire us every single day. Long-Term Feeding Tube Has Caused Complications – Surgery Urgently Needed Since birth, Shao Heng has relied on a nasogastric (NG) tube for feeding due to his inability to swallow. After five years of NG tube use, he has begun to suffer frequent fevers and has been diagnosed with multiple complications, including: Feeding difficulties , Poor nutrient absorption , Increased risk of infection Doctors now strongly recommend a Percutaneous Gastrostomy – a surgical procedure that allows him to receive nutrition directly through the stomach. This would allow Shao Heng to live more safely and comfortably. Due to his serious heart condition, the surgery must be conducted with great care, under the supervision of specialized anesthetic and surgical teams, to ensure his safety. Persatuan Kebajikan Sayap Kasih Malaysia Urgently Need RM30,000 for Surgery and Medical Costs "Time is running out. We are doing everything we can to raise RM30,000 for Shao Heng's life-changing surgery and medical care," said the NGO. "This procedure will give him a chance to grow in better health so that he will no longer suffer from feeding complications, infections, and pain." "In this difficult moment, we sincerely invite Malaysians to join hands with us." " Your support is not just a kind gesture — it is a lifeline. Together, we can give Shao Heng the fighting chance he deserves ," added the NGO. The statement also said: "We hope that kind-hearted individuals can contribute generously to assist Little Shao Heng. Thank you." Those who wish to know more about the patient situation can contact the person in charge Ms SUSAN NG at 014-3323960 or email susanng@ on behalf of Persatuan Kebajikan Sayap Kasih Malaysia. The NGO office in Jalan Gasing is open for visits daily from Monday to Saturday (10am till 6pm).
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Baby girl whose parents were told was 'perfectly healthy' needed open-heart surgery
A 'perfectly healthy' County Durham baby was rushed to hospital for open-heart surgery due to a congenital heart defect that was not detected on ultrasounds. Baby Arabella was just 12-days-old when she was taken to Newcastle's Freeman Hospital after her parents, Lauren Robinson and Nathan Bridger, noticed a blue tint to her skin. Lauren, of Willington, told The Northern Echo: "The blue tint developed after a few days. Her hands and feet were always a sort of purple colour too. "After she was born, doctors described Bella as 'perfectly healthy'. We'd seen a few midwives, and I had mentioned about Bella's colour, and they said it was quite normal for newborns. "But when Bella was 12-days-old, we had a health visitor come out. She said, to put our minds at ease, she would like us to see the GP. He took her SATs and they weren't reading good and we were sent to Durham Hospital. "She declined extremely quickly. By the time we got to Durham, Bella's oxygen was that low, that they were very worried and put her on medication". Lauren and Nathan said they were told if the medication worked and raised Arabella's oxygen levels, something was wrong. And it did exactly that, and Arabella was blue-lighted to the Freeman Hospital. Arabella at home the week before the surgery (Image: LAUREN ROBINSON) Lauren, who is a sales team leader and Nathan, a landscape gardener, were told Arabella had Tetralogy of Fallot, a group of four structural abnormalities within the heart that occur together. After receiving the news their baby had a congenital heart condition, Lauren said she was "horrified". "We felt guilty, because they explained that Bella had been struggling for those 12 days at home. It was traumatic. Going from what we thought was a perfectly healthy baby to essentially being told if we had left it a couple more hours Bella wouldn't have made it was horrifying", she said. Lauren continued: "Her heart had essentially struggled for nearly two weeks to the point that her pulmonary artery had completely closed by the time we got to the Freeman. That was on Wednesday, March 12 when we were brought in. We were kept in over the weekend, she was kept stable in ICU, then on the Monday she was fitted with a stent. "We were released on the Friday with a specialist formula to take home as she needed to put weight on for the surgery. So, we knew then she was going to need open-heart surgery, but ideally that's done between six and 11-months-old". But on May 28, baby Arabella was rushed back to the Freeman Hospital as her oxygen saturation levels had dropped dramatically and the family were told she would have to have surgery sooner. She underwent the operation on Monday, June 2 and is thankfully recovering well. Arabella after the surgery (Image: LAUREN ROBINSON) However, little Arabella's family have been told she will need surgery again in the future, as surgeons could not save her pulmonary artery. "They did all of the other fixes because Tetralogy of Fallot is actually four defects in one. They fixed the other three defects, but they had to cut her pulmonary artery out", Lauren said. Arabella's parents praised the surgeon who operated on their baby saying she saved her life. She said: "The surgeon, Louise Kenny, she is absolutely can't thank Freeman enough, because without them and without Louise Kenny, Bella wouldn't be here." Lauren and Nathan are currently staying in onsite accommodation at Freeman Hospital. A GoFundMe has been set up to help them with paying the bills and the costs of looking after Lauren's other two children, 13-year-old twins Lewis and Imogen. Lauren said: "The GoFundMe alleviates some of the pressure as Nathan is not working and I am on statuary maternity pay, so not a lot of money is coming in. We can't thank everyone enough who has donated". You can donate to the fundraiser by clicking here. Lauren and Nathan with baby Arabella (Image: LAUREN ROBINSON)
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
City Docs Save Woman With Congenital Heart Defect Without Open Surgery
Nagpur: In a groundbreaking development, Nagpur-based doctors performed a rare and highly advanced heart procedure that saved a young woman's life — without open heart surgery. The patient, born with a complex congenital heart defect known as Blue baby syndrome (Tetralogy of Fallot or TOF), a condition wherein a baby's skin turns bluish due to lack of oxygen in blood, had undergone a major open-heart surgery as a child. Now an adult, she recently became severely unwell due to a leaking heart valve and needed another major surgery. Instead of undergoing another high-risk open-heart operation, she received a minimally invasive treatment — much like angioplasty — through a vein in her leg. Incredibly, the patient was able to walk and talk just an hour after the procedure and was ready to go home within 24 hours. This life-saving and rare procedure, known as Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Implantation, was successfully carried out by Dr Manish Chokhandre, senior interventional paediatric cardiologist at Arneja Heart Institute. "Redo open-heart surgeries are extremely risky, especially in adults with childhood congenital heart conditions," explained Dr Chokhandre. "We carefully studied the patient's unique heart structure, custom-designed a special valve, and performed the entire procedure without opening the chest. " Welcoming the advancement, Dr Amar Amale, president of Cardiological Society of India (CSI), Vidarbha chapter, said, "Gone are the days when children had to undergo open-heart surgery with large chest incisions. Paediatric cardiology has advanced to a level where even a complex congenital heart condition in an adult, who earlier had childhood surgery, can now be treated through a simple leg vein — just like an angioplasty. It's a huge leap in cardiac care." "Paediatric cardiology needs more attention. One in every 100 children is born with a heart defect. Many go undiagnosed or are diagnosed too late," said Dr Chokhandre, who regularly performs heart procedures on newborns. Veteran cardiologist Dr Jaspal Arneja said, "Thanks to medical advances and new technologies, even complex heart problems can be treated more safely. With artificial intelligence (AI) helping us understand heart function better, we can now offer more accurate and effective treatment." This successful case from Nagpur brings hope to hundreds of children and adults born with heart defects — and shows how medical science and skillful execution are transforming lives, one heartbeat at a time. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Express Tribune
06-05-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Pakistani father praises COAS for arranging treatment after India expels ailing children
Listen to article The father two children sent back by India last week has praised Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir for taking responsibility for the treatment of the ailing children. The children, Abdullah (9) and Mansa (7), both suffering from congenital heart disease, had travelled with their father, Shahid Ahmed, to Faridabad, India, in April for life-saving surgery. After successful pre-surgical evaluations on April 22 and 23, the family was ordered by India's Foreigners Regional Registration Office on April 24 to leave the country within 48 hours. The expulsion came in the wake of the Pahalgam attack in Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), after which the Indian government took the controversial step of deporting even Paskistani patients who were undergoing treatment. Shahid Ahmed, a resident of Hyderabad, Sindh, condemned the decision, calling it 'inhumane and unethical.' 'There is no religion greater than humanity. Even Hinduism teaches compassion,' he said, adding that it took him seven years to secure an Indian visa for his children's treatment. On their return to Pakistan, General Munir facilitated the children's admission to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) in Rawalpindi. Shahid expressed deep gratitude to the Army Chief, saying the care at AFIC has far exceeded his expectations. Dr Mehboob Sultan of AFIC confirmed both children suffer from Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital condition involving heart defects and underdeveloped pulmonary arteries. Their treatment will include phased surgeries, with the first phase set to take place in the coming days. Brigadier Dr Khurram Akhtar stated that AFIC is fully equipped to treat complex cardiac conditions in children and adheres to international medical standards. 'There is no need to send such cases abroad. We have performed numerous successful surgeries here,' he added. Tensions between India and Pakistan reached new heights following a deadly attack on April 22, 2025, when 26 men were killed at a tourist site in Pahalgam, in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India swiftly blamed Pakistani elements for the attack, but no evidence was presented to support the claim, which Islamabad vehemently denied. In response to the attack, India's Cabinet Committee on Security approved several retaliatory measures on April 23, including the closure of the Wagah-Attari land transit point, a travel advisory urging Indian nationals to avoid Pakistan, a formal notification of the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and the revocation of multiple categories of visas for Pakistani nationals. On April 24, Pakistan's National Security Committee (NSC) issued a stern warning, declaring that any attempt by India to block the flow of water into Pakistan would be considered an act of war. The NSC also approved the closure of the Wagah border crossing. The following day, April 25, the Pakistan Senate unanimously passed a resolution rejecting India's allegations regarding the Pahalgam attack, calling them baseless and politically motivated. Tensions further escalated on April 26, when the Pakistani High Commission in London was vandalised during a protest by hundreds of pro-India and pro-BJP demonstrators. The protesters caused property damage, including broken windows and the splashing of saffron paint. Pakistan accused India of encouraging the violence, with Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar condemning the acts as being supported by "Indian state and agencies." British police later arrested two individuals suspected of involvement in the incident.
Express Tribune
01-05-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
India's sabre-rattling takes its toll on innocent lives
Listen to article A Pakistani family's seven-year struggle to obtain medical treatment for their children in India ended in devastation when their visas were abruptly cancelled amidst escalating tensions between India and Pakistan last week, a media report said on Wednesday. According to BBC, Shahid Ali and his wife Ambareen had been trying to secure Indian visas for seven years to get medical treatment for their children, Mansa, 7, and Abdullah, 9, who suffer from a rare heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). After finally obtaining the visas, they arrived at the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences in Faridabad, Haryana, on April 21 – just a day before the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Without providing any evidence, the Indian government blamed Pakistan for the attack and announced a raft of punitive measures, including cancelling of the visas of the Pakistani citizens. The Pakistanis in India were told to leave the country in seven days. According to the report, the doctors at the hospital supported every possible way, including pushing up the date of the surgery, but in vain. "An official came and informed us that our visas had been cancelled. Upon hearing this, my wife broke down in tears," BBC quoted Shahid Ali as saying. "When we started preparing to return, the children asked why we were going back without getting treatment. This time, it wasn't just my wifewe both cried. When I couldn't find an answer, I simply told them, 'We'll come again'." Now they had returned to Larkana. Shahid Ali and his family were among those Pakistanis affected by the Indian government's strict measures following the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. The family's ordeal is a testament to the human cost of the Indian government's sabre-rattling vis-a-vis Pakistan. However, this is not the only heart-breaking story. The cancellation of medical visas has affected numerous Pakistani families, who had travelled to India for treatment. Karachi-based Mohammad Imran was another individual, who had been affected. His 16-year-old son Ayaan is paralysed, and Imran had taken him to India for treatment in March. After Pahalgam incident, he was told to leave the country in 48 hours. However, Imran's ordeal does not end there, according to the report. Since, India also cancelled the Pakistani visas granted to the Indian citizens, Imran could return to Pakistan with his son, but his wife could not accompany them, because she happens to be an Indian citizen. With their treatment disrupted and their visas revoked, the affected families have appealed to the Pakistani government to help them secure medical treatment abroad.
