Ten-year-old Philasande Dladla from KwaZulu-Natal is the first person in the world to have two life-saving mechanical heart devices implanted in his body.
Philasande recently had a lifesaving operation whereby a 'mechanical heart' in the form of a heart ventricular assist device (HVAD) was implanted in his body to enable his damaged heart to continue functioning. The procedure also made him the first child in Africa to have been implanted with a long-term artificial heart device.
"Six months ago, the young boy had a temporary tandem mechanical heart device implanted at Netcare Milpark Hospital to repair his damaged heart valves," says Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital.
Dr Willie Koen, cardiac and transplant surgeon at Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital in Cape Town and a founding member and vice-president of the Pan African Society of Cardio-thoracic Surgeons, led the surgical team that implanted the hi-tech lifesaving HeartWare HVAD.
Koen says the operation was successfully completed on Monday.
"Philasande's journey has been a remarkable one and we are delighted that he has recovered so well that he is being discharged from hospital with renewed vigour and a smile on his face. Where Philasande's future was uncertain before, he has now been given a completely new lease on life.
"As far as we have been able to establish, Philasande is the first person in the world to have had both short-term and long-term mechanical heart devices implanted. These operations were nothing short of lifesaving and demonstrate the massive advances we are continuing to make in this country in the field of heart medicine. We are now able to use devices such as HVAD as a long-term solution to heart failure," he asserted.
The young Drakensberg Primary School learner suffered from cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease of the heart, as a result of a viral infection he contracted last year. His parents thought the infection was just a bout of flu. However, it quickly damaged Philasande's heart and heart valves, resulting in his heart failing, explains Koen.
The operation to implant the tandem mechanical heart device was undertaken in May to keep Philasande's heart functioning until the team at the hospital could perform a further operation to repair his heart valves. A prominent team, including cardiologist Dr Graham Cassel and cardiothoracic surgeons Dr Martin Sussman and Dr Agnetha Geldenhuys managed Philasande's condition and performed these operations at Netcare Milpark Hospital.
The HVAD helps to restore normal blood flow by enabling the left ventricle of the heart to operate properly. The right ventricle of the patient's heart must be able to function if the system is to be used. If not, another device called the Berlin Heart is used instead. HVAD is implanted via open-heart surgery and the patient has to wear a small external battery pack to hold the batteries that power the device, explains Koen.
"However, these procedures were not a long-term solution and were designed to win Philasande time, as his heart had been damaged to such an extent that he needed a transplant.
"The HVAD device should enable Philasande, who enjoys hockey and swimming, to reach adulthood, when the chances of finding him a suitable heart donor will be significantly enhanced," he continued.
Unfortunately, although Philasande is on the transplant list, a suitable matching donor heart for a child is extremely difficult to come by and, as a result, another solution had to be found, says Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital.
Jacques du Plessis, managing director of Netcare's hospital division, thanked all of the members of the teams at both Netcare Milpark Hospital and Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital for making the procedures possible and saving Philasande's life.
"These procedures were significant milestones in the history of cardiac medicine in this country and demonstrate what can be achieved with modern medicine when all role players work together to achieve the best possible outcomes," he notes.
Meanwhile HeartWare European Union, which developed the HVAD device, has announced in their internal publication that the first child in Africa has been implanted with a long-term artificial heart device.
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