Barring complications, Nashville doctors, who performed open-heart surgery on 2-year-old, anticipate she will go home in a month.

By VIK JOLLY

The Orange County Register

An Iraqi toddler who underwent an open-heart surgery was reported to be in good condition today as surgeons who operated on her said she is expected to lead a healthy and full life.

“Things are well so far,” said Carole Bartoo, a spokeswoman at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. Doctors “expect her to be able to go home in a month if nothing unexpected happens. That’s really what they’re driving for – getting her home and back to her family as soon as they can.”

Maha Mohammed Al Sumaidaie kisses her 2-year-old daughter in the first hour after her open heart surgery at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. -Photo by Neil Brake/Vanderbilt Medical Center (Click on image to enlarge)

Doctors who operated on Amenah Al-Bayati, 2, on Monday held a news conference this morning.

U.S. Marines under the command of Camp Pendleton-based Regimental Combat Team 5 helped bring the girl and her mother to the United States for the life-saving open-heart surgery.

Without the surgery the girl, born with a hole in her heart, would have died.

While many children with congenital heart defects require follow up surgeries, the procedure doctors used on Amenah largely eliminates a need for one, the hospital said.

In a three-hour operation, surgeons redirected the veins of Amenah’s heart in a procedure called a bi-directional Glenn Shunt. The doctors chose the method knowing that she may lack future medical intervention in Iraq, the hospital said.

“This is a rare condition and we chose the operation that was best for her, keeping in mind that when she returns to Iraq, she will not have access to a cardiologist,” said Dr. Karla Christian, pediatric heart surgeon.

“We decided to do an operation that would improve her oxygenation, but would leave her heart functioning as a single pumping chamber — which she has been living with since birth,” she said. ”We would expect, if all goes well, that she will need no further operation. The best part is she has gone from oxygenation levels in the 60’s or lower to up in the 90’s.”

Amenah was awake but on heavy pain medication today. Her mother, Maha Mohammed Al-Sumaidaie, has been by her side. Instead of having blue lips, fingers and toes, Amenah’s extremities are now pink, which indicates good oxygen supply, the hospital said.

She is expected to leave the intensive care unit later tonight or on Wednesday and could be released by the weekend to recuperate at the Franklin home of her hosts, Steve and Sarah Berger, who grew up in Orange County.

The surgery capped a long journey for Amenah and her mother, who came to the United States from the Al Anbar province in Iraq with the help of the U.S. military. The adventure took the involvement of multiple government agencies, a handful of doctors, caring Marines, a transplanted Orange County couple and a nervous, but willing mom and dad to pull off.

Members of the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines discovered Amenah in the fall while on routine patrol in her hometown of Haditha. The battalion raised $30,000 and helped bring the toddler and her mother to Nashville for the life-saving surgery.

To read a full Register story of Amenah and her mother’s journey to America, CLICK HERE.

More information is also available at the hospital website: www.vanderbiltchildrens.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 12:38 pm and is filed under Culture, Iraq dairy, Life, Military affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.