Pablo, a 17-month-old Indonesian boy, has recovered well after undergoing a minimally invasive heart procedure at the International Medical Center of Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital.
Pablo was born with a congenital ventricular septal defect (VSD), an abnormal opening between the left and right ventricles that can affect normal blood flow. His parents consulted several medical institutions in Indonesia, but were told that their son would need open-heart surgery, a high-risk option for a child so young and with such low body weight, especially given limited local medical resources.
Following a recommendation from relatives, the family learned that Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital has extensive experience in minimally invasive interventional treatment for congenital heart disease, even in very young children and children with low body weight. Determined to find a safer option, they traveled to Guangzhou and brought Pablo to the hospital's International Medical Center.
Weighing just over nine kilograms, Pablo had poor surgical tolerance, making pre-operative assessment, intra-operative treatment, and post-operative care particularly challenging. After he was admitted, the hospital opened a fast-track process for the foreign toddler and made thorough preparations for his treatment.
A multidisciplinary team of specialists from the International Medical Center, the Departments of Ultrasound, Anesthesiology, Cardiology, and Pediatrics held joint consultations and conducted a comprehensive evaluation. Taking into account the child's condition and the family's wishes, the team decided to perform percutaneous VSD closure, a minimally invasive intervention that can replace traditional open-heart surgery in suitable cases and significantly reduce trauma.
On the third day after the procedure, a follow-up echocardiogram showed that the defect had been successfully closed, and Pablo was discharged in good condition.
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Photo | Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital
