Doctors and surgeons from a hospital in Cape Town, South Africa are celebrating their first successful heart transplant on a minor in 13 years.
Parusia Muhigirwa, the 13-year-old recipient, underwent the delicate, critical operation performed by surgeons from Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH) and Groote Schuur Hospital in February that gave her a new lease on life, and has since been recuperating.
Young Heart Transplant Recipient Recovering
A RCWMCH statement that appeared on Cape Town ETC News said Muhigirwa was recovering and "doing well." The experience motivated Muhigirwa, the hospital added, to "become a doctor when she grows up.
Muhigirwa was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a type of heart failure wherein the heart muscle turned terribly feeble, limp, and large, which is due to a viral infection.
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Doctors said there are a number of reasons why children develop end-stage heart failure. Most common among sufferers is due to a failure of the heart's muscle, cardiomyopathy, in which the muscle could no longer function.
Heart Transplant as a Final Option for Pediatric Heart Failure
Some children could be born with abnormal heart structures and congenital heart disease, and while doctors can operate on some of the lesions, others could no longer be treated, pediatric cardiologist Liesl Zühlke of the RCWMCH said. He said that they also develop complications, and when additional pump failure happens, the only option could be a heart transplant.
Zühlke said doctors spend a long time preparing children for this type of procedure. He said it is a joint decision between the doctors, the child, and the family. A cardiac transplant service for children is something that inspires cardiologists like Zühlke, motivating them to provide children with heart failure a second lease on life, impacting the entire service, he said.
Patient to Undergo Post-Operation Procedures
Muhigirwa will undergo a series of follow-up sessions that need regular and monthly check-ups that includes blood tests, and a number of assessments to track her immuno-suppression.
Immunosuppression is a challenge, especially for children, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the doctors noted, these factors need to be balanced out to guarantee we provide the patient the best options.
Patient Thanks Doctors for "Being There For Me, Supporting Me"
Muhigirwa thanked all the doctors and surgeons who helped her through her tough ordeal. In a News24 report, Muhigirwa said her doctors have been a "big help", She said she appreciates them for "being there for me, supporting me." She also said she has nothing more to give than a "big thank you."
Last week, another 13-year-old in Austin, Texas, Grace Jennings, also received a long-anticipated heart transplant.
Jennings received her heart transplant on January 26 after waiting for 16 months for a donor while being connected to a life-saving mechanical heart pump. She is the second pediatric heart transplant recipient at the Dell Children's Hospital in Austin, after suffering a brain hemorrhage, the hospital said on its website.
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