Polish doctors made over 100 heart surgeries on children in Shymkent

A team of Polish cardiac surgeons operated over 100 children in Shymkent during the master-class held in the cardiology center of South-Kazakhstan oblast, KazTAG reports citing head of maternity and childhood protection department of South-Kazakhstan oblast Healthcare Department Balzhan Issabekova. "Master-class on pediatric cardiac surgery started on September 19. Our doctors are working with experts from Poland. 141 surgeries were made on patients with congenital heart diseases, 107 of them are children,” Issabekova said adding that around 300 consulting sessions were held as well. According to oblast Healthcare Department, 450 children are born with congenital heart diseases in South Kazakhstan oblast annually. 300-350 of them need surgeries. There are currently 2,800 children with congenital heart diseases registered, 450 of them are less than 1 year old. “Congenital heart diseases were reasons for deaths of 132 kids in 2010,” Issabekova said. She also said that before 2010 children of South-Kazakhstan oblast received cardiology help only in the national centers in Astana and Almaty. “Starting from August 2010 the doctors of cardiac surgery department of the oblast cardiology center started making surgeries on children with congenital heart diseases because of high necessity of such surgeries,” chief pediatrician of the oblast said. According to her, experts of the cardiology center were trained in Poland, Israel, Novosibirsk. The first surgery was made on August 27, 2010. Surgeons of the oblast cardiology center operated 25 children with congenital heart diseases in 2010. Experts from Poland made 58 surgeries on children and grown-ups with congenital heart diseases during a master-class in June. "The first radical surgery on 1-month old kid was made on August 6, 2011. The baby had it's great arteries transposited. The surgery was made by our experts together with the team from Astana Cardiac Surgery Institute headed by Yuriy Pya,” Issabekova said. Polish cardiac surgeons will work in Shymkent until October 18.