A
multidisciplinary team of Consultant Paediatric Cardiologists performed the
first ever Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), also known as hole in the heart,
closure on a 15 year old girl through minimal access keyhole procedure. This
intricate procedure entails accessing major blood vessels through the leg and
introducing a catheter with a device, then using x-ray guided technique to
skillfully push the device all the way to the heart and release it to close the
hole. According to Dr. Esther Kimani, Consultant Peadiatric Cardiologist, who
was part of the team that performed the procedure, this is the first such
procedure that has been done in a public health facility in the country and
with a local team. “We take pride in the fact that KNH has the capacity and
infrastructure to perform such a complex procedure that is done an all-local
team,” said Dr. Kimani Speaking to Newsline at their Dagoretti home, Ms. Grace
Gatoto, the patient’s mother, said that her daughter Shelvin Wakonyo, had a
fairly normal childhood although she would tend to get tired very fast during
playtime. “Shelvin was a very active child and in my mind she was just okay. It
was a friend who noted that her heart was beating abnormally fast and pointed
it out to me. That’s how we began the journey of hospital visits which would
eventually landed us at Kenyatta National Hospital,” said Ms. Gatoto The
journey would culminate in a groundbreaking procedure done at the KNH Cardiac
Catheterization Lab (Cath-lab) by the top Peadiatric Cardiologists in the
country including Dr. Naomi Gachara, Dr. Gladys Njihia and Dr. Esther Kimani.
“It took us about one hour to perform the procedure and after that, the patient
stayed in the ward only for a night and was discharged home the following day
without any wound or scar.” Dr. Kimani added Thanks to this life saving
operation, the doctors are confident that Shelvin will be able to lead a normal
productive life all the way into adulthood. Minimal access surgical procedures
are preferred due to the reduced trauma on the patient and also because they
significantly reduce length of hospital stay thereby conferring immense
benefits to the patient. Kenyatta National Hospital is committed to embracing
cutting edge technology in the correction of congenital heart defects for the
best clinical outcomes.