Day Two in the Dominican Republic
It is day two in the Dominican Republic for our visiting team! This visit to CEDIMAT in Santo Domingo is sponsored by Chain of Hope and Syosset High School Global Health Club. Today, there were a lot of teaching and training moments for the local team, two surgeries done, and three catheterization procedures performed. We will carry this momentum through the rest of the week!
Let the Heart Healing Commence!
Dalia and Neythan
Today began the week of procedures at CEDIMAT hospital with two open heart surgeries and three catheterization procedures done. Our first surgery on the day was done on Dalia! Dalia is an eleven month old female.
Dalia this morning being held by her mother.
Dalia had a congenital heart disease called Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery, or ALCAPA. Usually, oxygenated blood from a specific artery pumps oxygenated blood into the heart muscle.
ALCAPA means that due to the different structure of this artery, deoxygenated blood is instead pumped into the heart muscle, causing inadequate blood supply. This congenital heart disease can cause poor feeding, inability to gain weight, sweating, tiredness, and could eventually lead to heart failure and death if not treated properly and on time.
Dalia this morning before surgery.
Dalia underwent surgery this morning and was returned to the intensive care unit in CEDIMAT hospital around three in the afternoon today. She is currently resting and recovering from her long surgery. We will keep you updated on Dalia through the rest of the week!
Hand-off from the operating team to the ICU team after Dalia’s surgery.
The visiting team takes notes during hand-off after Dalia’s surgery.
Dr. Daniel Garros and Nurse Kelly Craighead converse with one of the local doctors after Dalia is settled into the ICU.
Our second child to receive surgery was Neythan! Neythan is a three month old baby. Neythan was born with a congenital heart disease called Transposition of the Great Arteries, or TGA. In TGA, the two arteries that leave your heart are switched. This causes poorly oxygenated blood to flow to the body instead of into the lungs to be reoxygenated. TGA causes children to appear blue in their lips, finger-tips, and toes (called cyanosis), and experience low blood oxygen levels.
Neythan being held by his father.
Neythan received his surgery after Dalia, and was transported to the ICU around seven in the evening. He is now resting in the recovery room in the ICU, and we will continue to update you on him throughout the rest of the week as well!
Ever, Ian, and Jeydi
While the operating room was in full swing, the cath lab was also in session! Dr. Gregory Fleming, our visiting interventionist, helped the local team perform three catheterizations today.
The first cath procedure was done on Ever. Ever is a one year old boy who had his cath procedure in preparation for his open heart surgery tomorrow. Ever has a congenital heart disease called Tetralogy of Fallot. Tetralogy of Fallot consists of four abnormalities of the heart existing together. We did not get the chance to grab a picture of Ever before his procedure, but we will continue with updates on him throughout the week and take his picture once he is feeling better after his recovery!
Ian waiting for his catheterization procedure this morning.
The second catheterization procedure done today was done on Ian! Ian is a nine year old boy whose favorite sport is baseball. Ian is in the fourth grade and told us he loves listening to music. He also knows how to play the drums and violin!
Our third cath today was Jeydi!
Jeydi with her favorite teddy bear from home, Edu!
Jeydi was a very social, sweet girl whose smile lit up the whole room! Jeydi is also in the fourth grade and her mother told us she is already an honors student! Way to go, Jeydi. Jeydi came to the hospital with her favorite teddy bear which she has named Edu. She received a Gift of Life International teddy bear today that will be Edu’s new best friend!
Jeydi with her two teddy bears.
Why Do We Call Them Training Visits?
Gift of Life International’s goal is not only to heal little hearts around the world, but to train local residents in each country we visit to eventually be able to treat children on their own.
How we help make that happen is by teaching the local medical teams how to care for these particular patients during the weeks our visiting teams are there. Today, a lot of learning opportunities arose due to the complicated nature of each congenital heart disease that was treated by surgery.
Dr. Daniel Garros teaches the local team of nurses about ALCAPA.
Dr. Daniel Garros was able to teach the local nursing team about ALCAPA. Dr. Garros explained how the procedure to treat ALCAPA would go, and why the nurses should treat these particular patients with ALCAPA in the specific way that they do. He was also able to teach the local team about the importance of an ICU technique that is used on patients healing from ALCAPA, as well as other cases.
Dr. Daniel Garros teaches members of the visiting and local medical teams about the importance of different ICU techniques.
Heading Into a Week of Healing Hearts
The visiting ICU team and the local doctor doing sign-off so that the night team has all of the information they need to proceed with care until the morning!
Today was a busy day of complex surgical and catheterization cases. As we head into the rest of the week, the patients from today will be focusing on rest and recovery while we keep the ball rolling! Tomorrow we plan to once again perform two open heart surgeries, and three catheterization procedures. Check back in here on the blog for updates on all of the children throughout the week. See you tomorrow!
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