A Taiwanese baby born with congenital heart problems has became the world’s third-lightest baby to undergo a complex heart surgery, Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei said yesterday.
Chang Chung-i (張重義), the hospital’s attending cardiovascular surgeon, said the mother, surnamed Lin (林), had remained at the hospital since an ultrasound scan showed that the fetus had congenital heart problems.
The baby, delvered prematurely by caesarian section, was born with a type A interrupted aortic arch combined with an aortopulmonary window, which can cause heart or lung failure if left untreated.
Photo courtesy of Mackay Memorial Hospital
Senior cardiovascular surgeon Hsu Kang-hung (徐綱宏) said the hospital planned to wait until the baby, nicknamed An An (安安), reached an optimal weight of 2,200g to perform the surgery, but the operation was moved forward due to An An’s inability to process excess water, which was accompanied by a marked increase in pulmonary blood flow and respiratory failure.
The surgery was performed on Sept. 18 last year, 24 days after An An’s birth, Hsu said, adding that the baby weighed only 1,948g at the time.
Hsu said the entire surgery took about nine hours, during which time doctors reconstructed the aortic arch using An An’s pericardial membrane to “close” the wall in the septum of the upper chambers of the heart.
Being born with a type A interrupted aortic arch and an aortopulmonary window is very rare, with a prevalence of only 1 in 1,000 and 6 in 10,000 births respectively, Hsu said.
The lightest baby to undergo a successful heart repair surgery was a Japanese baby weighing 1,230g, followed by a Greek baby weighing 1,600g, Hsu said.
Post surgery follow-up for An An has been promising, Chang said, adding that the baby is now six months old, weighs 7.3kg and can ingest 150cc of milk.
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
REBUFFED: In response to Chinese criticism over recent arms sales, Washington urged Beijing to engage in meaningful dialogue instead of threats and intimidation Washington’s long-term commitment to Taiwan would not change, the US Department of State said yesterday, urging Beijing to stop pressuring Taiwan and engage in meaningful bilateral dialogues. The remarks came in response to a backlash from Beijing about Washington’s latest approval of arms sales to Taiwan. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on Wednesday that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US has asked to purchase an arms package, including Tactical Mission Network Software; AH-1W helicopter spare and repair parts; M109A7 self-propelled howitzers; HIMARS long range precision strike systems; tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles; Javelin
RSS