Iraqi girl recieves life-saving experimental heart procedure
MIAMI (WSVN) -- A South Florida doctor successfully performs an experimental surgery on a little girl from Iraq that he hopes will save future lives.
Ammar Mustafa's 4-year-old daughter, Wead, suffers from a common heart condition in young children called Atrial Septal Defect (ACD) where there is a hole in the heart. However, doctors in Mustafa's native Baghdad, Iraq, nor in Jordan, were able to help her.
Not only afraid for his family's lives, Mustafa fled from the violence in Iraq to the United States to try and get little Wead some help. "I am afraid for them to go to school. Go to market," said the little girl's father. "I was afraid from losing her."
After first stopping in Tampa to see if friend's could help, Mustafa was eventually lead to South Florida to Miami Children's Hospital where Dr. Evan Zahin was able to offer Wead a new experimental surgery.
On Thursday, Dr. Zahin successfully performed a new procedure on Wead called the Helex. Instead of using a scalpel, doctors inserted this tiny tube in Wead's leg and closed the hole with a patch. "What we are able to do is push out the material and then curve it into a circular patch. So this is one side of the patch going up, there's the center point so we put that on one side of the hole," said Dr. Zahin, "and then on the other side we form another patch right here. Once we're sure we like it, we tighten it up and release it from this catheter sitting right here."
The FDA approved this new procedure just six months ago, thanks to the help of physician's like Dr. Zahin. Now children all over the world just like Wead will benefit from this amazing new device. "I am very greatful, very grateful," said Mustafa.
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