A team of Doctors at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu have successfully carried out the first `Truncus Arteriosus’ heart surgery in Nigeria.
Led by an expatriate surgeon, Prof. William Novick, the team performed the surgery to correct the dysfunctional heart of a 15 year old boy.
Novick, while briefing Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State said “We took our chances on the 15-month-old baby and it was successful.
“A normal heart has one vessel that leaves the right side and goes to the lungs and another vessel that leaves the left side of the heart and goes to the body.
“In Truncus Arteriosus, the patient does not have two defined vessels leaving the heart. He has one vessel. So, there is no separation between the lungs’ blood flow and the body blood flow.
“So the problem results in too much blood going to the lungs and not enough going to the body. The operation we did is a curative one to correct the defect.”
Dr Christopher Amah, UNTH Chief Medical Director added that “Dr Novick was here in 2003 as the lead surgeon to perform similar surgeries on Nigerian children under the sponsorship of Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation and he is here to repeat this kindness for no payment.
“It may interest you to note that the first `Open Heart Surgery’ in black Africa was performed at UNTH on Feb. 1, 1974, by our indigenous staff, with the collaboration of a renowned heart surgeon, Prof. Magdi Yacoub.”
Governor Ugwuanyi, in response announced a donation of N5 million to assist the families of children who were undergoing surgery.