Latest news with #openheartsurgery
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
For some Zimbabwe children with heart disease, a rare lifeline restores hope
Tubes snaked across 3-year-old Gracious Chikova's bandaged chest in the intensive care unit of a government hospital in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. Just a day earlier, surgeons had opened her tiny heart to repair a defect that threatened her life. Now she sipped a drink from a syringe, her mother anxiously watching her every breath. 'I had given up. Those with money have been taking their children to India for surgery, but I simply couldn't afford it,' said Vimbainashe Chakanungwa as she helped her daughter sip her meal. Chakanungwa's monthly salary as a teacher is about $300, barely enough for household basics, let alone surgery. Gracious is one of 10 children who received free open-heart surgery in July at Parirenyatwa Hospital from a visiting team of Egyptian surgeons working alongside Zimbabwean doctors. In a country with just a handful of cardiothoracic specialists and chronic shortages of functioning equipment in public hospitals, the 'heart camp' offered hope to families who can't imagine raising the $15,000 needed for surgery abroad. Zimbabwe has only five cardiothoracic surgeons, including Dr. Kudzai Kanyepi, the country's first and only female heart surgeon. 'There is no medication that can replace surgery. The burden of disease remains, and unfortunately some of the children pass away without getting the help they desperately need,' Kanyepi said. 'It is the reason why we continue to work in our country. There is nothing greater than helping your own people.' Zimbabwe resumed open-heart operations in 2023 after they were paused in 2018 due to economic turmoil. Since then, local surgeons have operated on 55 children. Another 19 have benefited from two surgical camps last year and in July with Egyptian assistance and supported by nongovernmental organizations such as Gift of Life International. Globally, about one in every 100 children is born with congenital heart disease, making it the world's most common birth defect, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Zimbabwe, an estimated 4,500 children are born with heart disease each year, with many unable to access surgery, said Dr. Simukayi Machawira, head of cardiology at the hospital. Of those, 30% — or around 1,200 infants — are likely to die in their first year if untreated, he said. 'You can imagine, it's quite a lot of children,' he said. Dr. Hesham Shawky, the Egyptian team leader, has organized similar camps in Kenya and Uganda. 'This is the only solution for many people in Africa because they can't afford private care,' he said. On the ward in Zimbabwe, mothers hovered over their children, relief etched on their faces. Machines beeped softly as nurses adjusted tubes. One baby slept beside a balloon scrawled with a smiley face. For Chakanungwa, the joy over her child was hard to measure. 'I had resorted to prayer, just hoping for a miracle,' Chakanungwa said, smiling. 'It's impossible to open my heart to show my gratitude and happiness. I was afraid that I could lose my baby, but here is the baby. She's back to life.' ___ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Health
- Associated Press
For some Zimbabwe children with heart disease, a rare lifeline restores hope
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Tubes snaked across 3-year-old Gracious Chikova's bandaged chest in the intensive care unit of a government hospital in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. Just a day earlier, surgeons had opened her tiny heart to repair a defect that threatened her life. Now she sipped a drink from a syringe, her mother anxiously watching her every breath. 'I had given up. Those with money have been taking their children to India for surgery, but I simply couldn't afford it,' said Vimbainashe Chakanungwa as she helped her daughter sip her meal. Chakanungwa's monthly salary as a teacher is about $300, barely enough for household basics, let alone surgery. Gracious is one of 10 children who received free open-heart surgery in July at Parirenyatwa Hospital from a visiting team of Egyptian surgeons working alongside Zimbabwean doctors. In a country with just a handful of cardiothoracic specialists and chronic shortages of functioning equipment in public hospitals, the 'heart camp' offered hope to families who can't imagine raising the $15,000 needed for surgery abroad. Zimbabwe has only five cardiothoracic surgeons, including Dr. Kudzai Kanyepi, the country's first and only female heart surgeon. 'There is no medication that can replace surgery. The burden of disease remains, and unfortunately some of the children pass away without getting the help they desperately need,' Kanyepi said. 'It is the reason why we continue to work in our country. There is nothing greater than helping your own people.' Zimbabwe resumed open-heart operations in 2023 after they were paused in 2018 due to economic turmoil. Since then, local surgeons have operated on 55 children. Another 19 have benefited from two surgical camps last year and in July with Egyptian assistance and supported by nongovernmental organizations such as Gift of Life International. Globally, about one in every 100 children is born with congenital heart disease, making it the world's most common birth defect, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Zimbabwe, an estimated 4,500 children are born with heart disease each year, with many unable to access surgery, said Dr. Simukayi Machawira, head of cardiology at the hospital. Of those, 30% — or around 1,200 infants — are likely to die in their first year if untreated, he said. 'You can imagine, it's quite a lot of children,' he said. Dr. Hesham Shawky, the Egyptian team leader, has organized similar camps in Kenya and Uganda. 'This is the only solution for many people in Africa because they can't afford private care,' he said. On the ward in Zimbabwe, mothers hovered over their children, relief etched on their faces. Machines beeped softly as nurses adjusted tubes. One baby slept beside a balloon scrawled with a smiley face. For Chakanungwa, the joy over her child was hard to measure. 'I had resorted to prayer, just hoping for a miracle,' Chakanungwa said, smiling. 'It's impossible to open my heart to show my gratitude and happiness. I was afraid that I could lose my baby, but here is the baby. She's back to life.' ___ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Somerset woman could be waiting years for heart transplant
A woman who has lived with a heart condition for decades says it could be "many more years" before she gets a Fear, from Yeovil in Somerset, was born with only three heart chambers, two holes in her heart and two of her arteries the wrong way 50-year-old has since had multiple open heart surgeries and pacemakers fitted, but said she was added to the transplant list in May 2024 as her organ was "failing".As NHS waiting lists grow, Mrs Fear said she would "make something of her life" if she got the transplant and "would not waste the gift". Mrs Fear's journey was first covered by BBC News when she had major open-heart surgery at the age of treatments became less effective throughout her life and she is now experiencing issues such as fast and irregular heartbeat. "My transplant will hopefully make a massive difference, I hope to just be able to live and do more physical activities than I have my whole life. "I've got to 50 and I can't run to the end of the road, my dream is to run a marathon. I'd like to be able to go on a few more holidays and not worry," she Fear - who is now married and has a step-daughter - said a new heart would give her "confidence and freedom", but she believed she could be waiting several more years due to a shortage in organs being NHS has warned the number of life-saving donations fell year-on-year nationally amid a record number of people waiting for an the south-west of England, 596 people are waiting for a transplant. Mrs Fear said she had told her family she would be donating all the organs she could when she died."From what I have seen, people that donate their organs, it gives their family pride and comfort – their loved one has done something for someone else," she said. "I will honour my donor in the fact I will go out there and live as best a life as I can, and hopefully do something for somebody else," she rates for organ donation are at 59% and - despite the opt-out system - families can still override the wishes of their loved ones. NHS director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, Anthony Clarkson, urged people to take action by registering their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register."Tragically, someone will die today waiting for a transplant and we urgently need more people to register their decision to donate and to have these vital conversations with their families."Last year, 60% of people who donated after death were on the NHS Organ Donor Register, which made those conversations with families so much easier."People are far more likely to support donation when they know it's what their relative wanted," he said.
ABC News
02-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Westmead Hospital patient waits more than 200 days for life-saving heart surgery
For more than seven months, Joshua Maxwell woke each morning wondering if this was the day he would die. The 32-year-old writer and playwright from the NSW Central Coast was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect as a child, which only deteriorated with age. In May 2024, he was booked in for an elective open-heart surgery at Sydney's Westmead Hospital after his body started rejecting medication needed to keep him stroke-free. Mr Maxwell's surgeon classified him as a category two patient, meaning his surgery should have taken place within 90 days. His surgeon hoped it would happen sooner because of the risk of what he described as a "lights out" stroke. "His exact words were, 'I want you on and off my table within 30 days'. He said 'Westmead might take a bit, so let's say 45,'" Mr Maxwell said. As the days and weeks ticked by, Mr Maxwell, who has autism, ADHD and a neurological condition, prepared for the worst. He left his job, drafted a will, said goodbye to his family, and wrote letters to friends. He even planned a funeral and booked a celebrant. "I was in such a bad mental health state that I figured if I have everything planned, it won't bother my family if anything happens, apart from losing a loved one," he said. Mr Maxwell said he repeatedly called the hospital, pleading for a surgery date. "It was always a 'not yet, not yet, there's people in front of you'. It got to the point where I felt like I was just sitting in limbo, waiting by a phone for a phone call that just wasn't coming," he said. In desperation, he reached out to his surgeon's office, asking if anything could be done. "Unfortunately, this is the public system and is out of our hands. If you do notice any deterioration in your symptoms, please go to your nearest emergency department and let them know that you are on [your surgeon's] waitlist," his surgeon's office replied in an email. The Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), which is responsible for Westmead Hospital, declined the ABC's request for an interview. In November 2024, six months after he was placed on the waitlist and with no clear idea of when his surgery would happen, Mr Maxwell wrote a heartfelt letter to his local MP, David Harris, pleading for help. His health was deteriorating, and he was concerned that without the procedure soon, he might not live for much longer. "Each day is a tightrope walk of symptoms and emotion while I wait for my phone to ring. My family and friends, and work are suffering because I have no control over anything," he wrote in his letter. "I am deeply concerned about what might happen if I become critically unwell and surgery cannot be scheduled in time. On January 23 this year, Mr Maxwell was finally booked in for surgery — 210 days after he was first placed on the waitlist. He believes his letter to Mr Harris, who he was told discussed the issue with NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, was key to finally securing the date. He isn't sure whether having his procedure performed within the recommended 90-day window would have prevented health complications, but he said the damage to his mental health had been overwhelming. "They were traumatic, they were never-ending, they were filled with very little joy and positivity. "It felt a lot of the time like I was tied to a set of train tracks, and I just had to hope that the one I was tied to wasn't the one the train was barrelling down." Mr Maxwell said he had never been given an explanation as to why he had to wait so long for his operation. Surgery bookings and schedules are managed by hospital staff who do not always have clinical backgrounds. Mr Maxwell is sharing his experience in the wake of allegations of excessive wait times in cancer screening procedures at Westmead Hospital. Sources have told the ABC that the WSLHD's CEO, Graeme Loy, was asked to step down from his role by the NSW Secretary of Health, Susan Pearce, last week, ahead of a vote of no confidence by medical staff at Westmead Hospital. NSW Health is conducting an independent review into cancer wait times, but the investigation has no set timeline. Jenny King, the deputy chair of the Westmead Medical Staff Council, said other departments at the public hospital were impacted by lengthy wait times. "These things happen because there are inadequate staff to deal with the administrative load, the paperwork and patients may be forgotten," she said. She met with Mr Park on Wednesday to discuss the growing crisis but said more funding for the Western Sydney region was desperately needed. "It's an area that has a lot of health problems. We aren't staffed, we aren't funded, we are not resourced for the demands of our community," she said. In a statement, a WSLHD spokesperson sincerely apologised to Mr Maxwell "for the delay in receiving his surgery". "We understand how challenging it can be when patients wait longer than they expect for their procedure," the spokesperson said. "We acknowledge that there were shortcomings with our communication to Joshua about his surgery." The spokesperson said, as of June this year, there were no overdue patients requiring heart surgery. Mr Maxwell has another two months of recovery before he can return to work, but the delay in his surgery has also affected the ongoing treatment of his neurological condition. He's speaking out because he's concerned other patients attending Westmead Hospital could die while waiting for surgery. "I just don't know how I'm going to learn how to trust that system that was meant to protect me and make me better again," he said.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Hucknall man's charity walk after surviving 'silent killer'
"It's a really, really serious condition. They call it a silent killer."James Houghton was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm after being rushed to the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham in May underwent three major operations to save his life in the five months that followed, including two open heart on medication for life, the 47-year-old from Hucknall in Nottinghamshire is now in good health and will be walking 25km with his family on Saturday to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. The father-of-two explained how he had been getting ready to go to bed when he started to feel unwell and noticed a "strange sensation" in his chest."It was just a pain when I inhaled," he said."I had to have the shallowest breaths in order to not feel that pain, which is obviously not normal."But me being a typical bloke, I didn't really do anything about that until the wife realised I was still doing it the following morning and that's when we called the ambulance." After being diagnosed at the QMC, James was transferred to Nottingham City Hospital where he had to have open heart surgery to repair the aneurysm and a faulty bicuspid valve, which regulates blood flow from the heart to the returned home, but quickly deteriorated after developing endocarditis, a heart six weeks, James was back in hospital for a second open heart surgery, this time to have a mechanical valve dad, Paul Houghton, said renal experts did not think he would survive another operation, adding "but there was no choice"."He was then in a coma, which was normal, and we expected him to come out after two or three days," he explained."He didn't, and after nine days his poor wife was asked to go in and say goodbye to him because he was that ill and the doctors really didn't think he would pull added: "Miraculously, he survived it." But James's hospital treatment was not over yet - the femoral artery burst in his leg as a complication from his previous needed a third operation to repair it and save his life once told the BBC he feels "crazy lucky" to have survived."[I] can't really fathom it when I think about it afterwards," James said."I was on a natural high for about a year afterwards. Every petal, every rainbow, every cloud was amazing."It was a brilliant, brilliant way to feel and that all came from just recognising how lucky I was."The NHS says abdominal aortic aneurysms are most commonly seen in men over Birdi, the consultant who performed both of James's open heart surgeries, said: "I've been doing cardiac surgery for 25 to 30 years now, I have never seen an aneurysm so large in such a young patient."For a man in his early 40s to have such a huge aneurysm and then ultimately survive it and be doing what he's doing today, is a very rare thing. Probably the only time I've seen it in my clinical career."Since James's diagnosis, his immediate family have all had heart scans. A potentially similar heart defect has been found in his younger sister and one of his sons. They will now be monitored to ensure their hearts remain healthy. Three generations of James's family will take part in the Peak District Ultra Challenge on Saturday.
