Dr Pham Thi Thanh Tam, head of the Newborn Resuscitation Department, said that on March 3, the department took in a patient from a hospital in Vinh Long province suffering congenital heart disease and coarctations of the aorta.

The baby was born prematurely, at 31 weeks of gestation and weighing only 900g.

The patient also suffered many injuries, such as respiratory and kidney failure.

Tam said that this was a difficult and dangerous surgery.
According to the doctor, the team could not wait until the baby weighed enough for surgery.

If the surgery was not performed, the heart defects would have affected the baby’s health. The baby’s organs have not developed yet completely and could not keep the baby alive, Tam said.

Doctors from related hospital’s departments held a consultation to find the best solution.

After 20 days of careful preparations, doctors decided to undergo surgery on March 23.

After an hour, the operation was successful. The patient now can breathe with support of oxygen. Nutrition is still supplied from the intravenous to stomach, doctors said.