Abu Dhabi: Home monitoring for babies with heart problems

Medics in Abu Dhabi can now track the wellbeing of newborns with heart problems as they remain at home. The new monitoring programme keeps them safe and healthy as they wait for their second open-heart surgery.

The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) on Sunday announced that it has introduced the Interstage Monitoring Programme (IMP) for newborns with heart abnormalities that require multiple surgeries.

Implemented by a dedicated and highly specialised group of physicians, nurses and administrative staff for the first time in the UAE, the programme helps monitor infants while they are at home waiting for their next cardiac surgery.

Infants born with the most severe types of heart abnormalities, in which only one side of the heart is functioning, normally undergo an initial open-heart surgery in their first few days of life. This is followed by a second heart surgery after six months.

Patients are discharged during the wait between the first and second surgeries. The paediatric congenital cardiac team at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), a Seha-affiliated facility, looks after 50 to 60 newborns with these conditions every year.

The time between the two surgeries, known as the interstage period, places infants at an increased risk of death. Approximately 20 per cent of children born with complex heart conditions pass away in the lead-up to the second surgery.

A group of cardiac intensive care physicians, nurses and administrative employees from SKMC have came together to provide continuous monitoring and medical counseling during the interstage period. This helps to keep them safe and healthy in the lead-up to the second procedure.

Dr Anwar Sallam, Group Chief Medical Officer, Seha, said: “Newborns face a higher risk of death during the interstage period due to the increased toll a simple virus or other infections can have on an abnormally developed heart. With parents not knowing what to watch out for ... the SKMC paediatric cardiac surgical department has taken the lead in introducing a programme that enables the continuous monitoring and care of infants at home during the waiting period.”

How it works

The IMP team monitors the infant’s wellbeing from the moment they complete their first open heart surgery to the day they are readmitted for their second procedure.

Before the newborn is discharged, the team counsels the family on how to look after them, explaining how delicate the infant’s condition is and educating them on warning signs of deterioration. Once the newborn is home, the IMP team then establishes regular contact with the family through telemedicine consultations – either daily or weekly, depending on the condition of the infant.

During these calls, the team of medical professionals consults the family on the infant’s various vital signs, including weight, oxygen levels, feeding habits and general condition. If problems are identified, families are given clear instructions on how to proceed, and if the situation becomes critical, arrangements are quickly made for referral to hospital and re-admission.

Dr. Victoria Sheward, Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Intensivist, SKMC said: “Of the approximately 350 corrective heart surgeries we perform on children each year, around 60 infants require a follow-up open-heart procedure after around six months. By introducing the interstage monitoring programme, we are letting parents know they are not alone during this journey and providing them with the support they need to keep their newborns safe, healthy and alive as they wait for their second operation.”

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai
• Abu Dhabi