Pakistani baby with holes in heart given new lease of life in Dubai

Boy also has a rare genetic disorder called micro deletion

Baby Abbas's treatment racked up millions of dirhams in medical bills, which the hospital generously waived. Photo: Syed Iftikhar

A Pakistani father has shared the extraordinary story of how his baby was given a new lease of life thanks to world-class medical treatment in Dubai.

Syed Iftikhar's son, Abbas, was born with life-threatening medical complications and spent months in intensive care, fighting for his life.

His treatment racked up millions of dirhams in medical bills, which the hospital generously waived.

“My son is alive thanks to the excellent treatment Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital in Dubai offered my baby, despite my financial difficulties,” Mr Iftikhar told The National.

Abbas was born in September 2022 and was seemingly healthy except for a small cyst in his brain.

Doctors initially deemed the cyst non life-threatening, Mr Iftikhar said. However, the baby's health rapidly deteriorated within a couple of months.

“He stopped feeding and was agitated all the time. He suffered from seizures that left him with a blue face and twisted fingers. That is when I realised that his condition was serious,” Mr Iftikhar said.

When Abba's oxygen levels dropped alarmingly one day, Mr Iftikhar and his wife Seema Rana called for an ambulance.

Paramedics rushed Abbas to Al Jalila Hospital where he was immediately admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

After a few days of observation, doctors discovered multiple holes in Abba's heart.

“He needed heart surgery,” Mr Iftikhar said. “The financial cost was weighing heavily on us as my business was not doing good and my wife is a customer care executive in a private firm.”

Rare genetic disorder

But things worsened after the results of a genetic test taken prior to the operation revealed that Abbas had a rare genetic condition called micro deletion – a chromosomal abnormality that can cause intellectual disability and problems with motor skills.

“You cannot imagine our devastation. However, the surgery was completed successfully on December 26, giving us a glimmer of hope,” Mr Iftikhar said.

Abbas was then transferred to the ward, but the relief was short-lived. Within days, Abba's condition deteriorated, prompting an urgent return to the ICU where he required immediate intubation.

Abbas then began suffering from seizures, cardiac arrest, weight loss and recurring infections.

The medical team at Al Jalila Hospital tirelessly worked to identify the underlying cause of Abba's respiratory distress.

“During a bronchoscopy, doctors discovered that Abbas had floppy airways, a condition that could not be cured. All hopes came crashing down as doctors told us that our son would have to rely on a ventilator for many years to come. We felt helpless,” said Mr Iftikhar.

Abbas's condition continued to deteriorate and by April his lungs stopped inflating. All efforts to restore his oxygen levels were unsuccessful.

“The ups and downs of his health was taking a toll on us. We did not know what to expect as his condition swayed from better to worse,” continued Mr Iftikhar.

One day, when he returned home with his wife, he received an urgent call from the hospital.

“Abbas's condition worsened again and they had to perform an immediate tracheotomy to save his life,” he said.

“With a hole made in his neck and him rendered temporarily paralysed, Abbas's life was hanging by a thread.”

Believing in miracles

The distraught father said that was the moment he understood the miracle of medical science when the collective expertise of the ICU, along with cardiac surgeons, pulmonologists and ENT specialists saved his son's life.

Mahmoud Al Soufi, cardiologist at Al Jalila Hospital, told The National that since the Abbas had multi-congenital anomalies, he required a multi-speciality team to create a treatment plan.

“The baby would not survive open heart surgery. He was too weak and small. So we had to work around it to clear his airways,” Dr Al Soufi said.

“He had a hole in his heart and his fetal embryological artery, which should have closed after birth, remained open. Through surgery, we closed it and put a band around his pulmonary artery to neutralise the effect of the hole.

“The doctors then put a special airway in his trachea just to maintain good ventilation, as well as avoid general anaesthesia and sedation.”

Mr Iftikhar said that after seven months spent in the ICU, his son was transferred to the ward on July 10 and is now making significant progress.

“I have no words to thank the team at Al Jalila hospital. Not only did my son get the best treatment possible but also free of cost. I am so grateful,” he said.