On Thursday, August 21, the Pediatric Cardiology Department of the Mersin University Hospital conducted operations on 11 pediatric patients. Our doctor, Prof. Dr. Derya Karpuz, and her team successfully closed the heart defects of these children using a non-surgical angioplasty method.

Following the procedures, Prof. Dr. Karpuz warned families that they should seek a doctor's consultation for heart checks at least once during their children's early years. She continued her remarks:

"Small defects often show no symptoms. Families may not recognize them. Sometimes even larger holes between the atria may not present symptoms. In such cases, these defects may go unnoticed or be referred to cardiology based on murmurs detected during routine pediatric check-ups. Some medium and large defects may cause symptoms such as rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, difficulty breathing, wheezing, fatigue during feeding, inability to feed for long periods, swelling around the eyelids and buttocks, weight gain issues due to insufficient intake and increased energy expenditure, frequent lung infections, cyanosis, and in older children, quick fatigue during play, lethargy, chest pain, recurrent lung infections, and slow growth and developmental delays."

However, it is important to remember that not all heart defects are the same. The most common types of heart defects in children are those between the ventricles (VSD), those between the atria (ASD), large defects that continue between the atria and ventricles (AVSD), and vascular openings between the aorta and the pulmonary artery (PDA). These heart defects can occur as a single defect or multiple defects.

In previous years, heart defects were only closed through open-heart surgery, but today a significant portion can be treated using non-surgical methods. Today, we successfully closed different heart defects in 11 of our children suitable for non-surgical angioplasty. In this technique, deep sedation (deep sleep) is applied. A pathway is created by entering through the femoral vein, and closure devices shaped like two interconnected discs are placed through this pathway to close the defect. This procedure takes approximately 20-30 minutes. To prevent clot formation on the device, anticoagulant medications are required for about six months. The surface of the device will be covered with tissue within an average of 3-6 months. All of this does not affect the patient's daily life. Additionally, there are many advantages to closing heart defects non-surgically: children typically stay in the hospital for 24-48 hours, can return to school after resting at home for two to three weeks, there is no surgical scar which alleviates aesthetic concerns, and it does not require general anesthesia.

Heart defects in children can lead to various lung problems, as well as heart issues such as heart failure and enlargement. Early diagnosis and necessary treatment are extremely important."

It was reported that the 11 patients who underwent the procedure by Prof. Dr. Karpuz were discharged the next day and returned to their normal lives.