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New York City, NY (Dec. 21, 2005, 5:00 p.m.) — Asaid S. Abd. Sibreai emerged this afternoon drowsy from the 2.5-hour surgery to repair a congenital heart defect, but already breathing on his own and indicating his immediate needs with sign language and the only English word he knows: PlayStation.
"Thank God, thank the medical team, and thank Montefiore for giving my son back his life," said Asaid's father, Salih A. Sabre, who had slept at the boy's bedside all night. He had just telephoned home to Baghdad to share the good news with his wife, mother, and family, and he could hear his father, Asaid's grandfather, in the background weeping.
Samuel Weinstein, MD, leader of the medical team that performed the lifesaving open-heart surgery, said that 12-year-old Asaid suffered from atrioventricular canal, with two holes in his heart, in the walls between the upper and lower chambers, as well as a cleft in the mitral valve.
Assisted by anesthesiologists, another heart surgeon, pediatric perfusionists and nurses, Dr. Weinstein repaired the leak in the valve and patched the two holes with Gortex and pericardium from the boy's own heart.
"Before surgery, Asaid couldn't keep up with his peers. His heart was larger than a normal adult's because it was straining to maintain adequate blood circulation," Dr. Weinstein said.
Now, Asaid's heart is back to normal size. "He's awake and talking, and he looks great. He's going to make a full recovery," Dr. Weinstein said.
Asaid was one of four Iraqi children brought to The Children's at Montefiore for lifesaving cardiac surgery through the combined efforts of Sergeant Marikay Satryano, a Bronx school teacher who serves with the US Army Reserves Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Center in Amman, Jordan; Gift of Life International, a humanitarian arm of Rotary International; and the Rachel B. Cooper Foundation, which provides funds for research at Montefiore for children with congenital heart disease.
Like Asaid, the other children are doing remarkably well. Chhavi Katyal, MD, the attending pediatric physician, has been closely monitoring the kids' heart and kidney functions over the 12 to 24 hours post-operation.
"There has been absolutely no problem. I 'blame' the surgeons," she said with a laugh.
Christine Walsh, MD, the kids' cardiologist, said that 11-year-old Wsim Rabea, who underwent surgery Monday morning, is ready to start walking. He was rushed to Montefiore by ambulance last Friday because of the severity of his condition, fainting every time he exerted himself. Now, his drainage tubes and arterial lines have all been removed. He lolls happily in bed watching cartoons.
Ashjan Khaled, age 12, suffered no more than an upset stomach after surgery yesterday afternoon to repair an enormous hole in the wall between her right and left ventricles.
"The upset stomach was relieved with a bowl of ice cream — and some colorful barrettes brought by visiting policemen from the 43rd precinct," said Elena Gonzalez, Ashjan's primary nurse. The policemen had offered a Winnie the Pooh bear, but Ashjan promptly rejected the childish toy.
Her father, Khalid A. Jarallah, who tended to her throughout the night while she was still on a respirator, has vowed to rename her. "When we go home, we are going to call her not Ashjan (which means sadness), but Farrah (which means beautiful)," he said.
Six-year-old Sivar Mohammed, who underwent surgery yesterday morning to close a hole in his heart and widen his pulmonary valve, is already showing his lively nature.
"He's eager to get up and out, even though his drainage tubes and arterial lines are still in place," said Patty Doyle, his primary nurse.
They have no trouble communicating, she said. "He's adept at sign language: definitely thumbs down for the Foley catheter, thumbs up for everything else."
"We weren't quite sure what to expect when these children arrived. Coming from a war-torn country, they might be suffering from post-traumatic stress. They might be fearful of interacting with the medical team," said Dr. Walsh. "But aside from their medical problems, they are all just normal, wonderful kids! They have been happy and smiling and interacting with the team the entire time. They are just like kids from the Bronx."
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