George E. Sarris, MD, PhD,
FACC, FACS, FAHA, FCTS, FETCS
Chief, Department of Pediatric Heart Surgery at Iaso Children’s Hospital
IASO Children’s Hospital and the Pediatric and Cardiac Surgery at IASO Children’s Hospital show their social awareness once more and stand by all those children in need of medical assistance by providing top quality healthcare services. At IASO Children’s Hospital, we “listen” to the heart of each and every child, and driven by our strong sense of responsibility and social contribution, we immediately respond to all needy hearts.
Dr. Georgios Sarris, Director of the Pediatric and Cardiac Surgery at IASO Children’s Hospital, described the challenging case he faced:
‘During her neonatal period, a 13-month-old young patient was diagnosed with severe cyanotic congenital heart disease of extreme Tetralogy of Fallot type [double outlet right ventricle (DORV) with almost complete pulmonary atresia and severe bilateral branch stenoses and hypoplasia]. Despite the fact that timely surgical repair of the condition had been advised at that time, neither was the surgery performed nor was the patient brought to any cardiological surveillance, due to a particularly unfavorable social situation and, most recently, development of tragic family circumstances.
Consequently, the infant was found in an extremely precarious clinical condition of severe cyanosis and cardiac cachexia. Consultations the family received by several other centers advised only palliative and not definitive surgical treatment at this time. However, such palliative treatment would necessitate a second cardiac operation in the future, thereby multiplying the risks for the child’.
Following a thorough clinical assessment, Dr. Sarris determined that a single-stage surgical repair would be best, despite the major technical challenges this strategy would involve, in order to eliminate the cyanosis immediately and to minimize the overall risk for the child.
Subsequent to the applicable pre-operative preparation at IASO Children’s Hospital, Dr. Sarris and his team carried out the one-stage complete surgical repair of the congenital heart defect with great success. At the specialized Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at IASO Children’s Hospital, and under the full support and guidance of its Director, the Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiologist Dr. Chrysanthos Alexopoulos, the patient’s post-operative course was excellent.
Having further fully recovered at the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Clinic, which is fully equipped and expertly staffed, the young patient returned to her everyday activities at home with a healthy heart.
The gratefulness expressed by the family was touching indeed. In particular, the little patient’s grandmother stated: ‘When our child was admitted to IASO Children’s Hospital, her chances of surviving were low. Supported by the Director Pediatric Heart Surgeon Dr. Georgios Sarris, his team and the entire nursing and administrative staff, and thanks to their love, one month later, we are discharged healthy and strong. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you’ve done for my granddaughter’.