Aged 1½ years old and weighing 10 kg, the young boy was suffering from patent ductus arteriosus and severe aortic isthmus stenosis Aortic isthmus stenosis is a narrowing of the aorta, meaning that the circulation in the lower half of the body is inadequate. The body responds by releasing a hormone from the kidneys to raise the blood pressure such that, despite the constriction, the lower half of the body still receives a sufficient supply of blood. This comes at the price of increased blood pressure in the upper half of the body, which places strain on the arteries in the upper body and mainly results in the heart having to work against the very high blood pressure. The left ventricle therefore becomes thickened and in very severe cases may fail.

In Chinguun’s case, the left ventricle was already thickened but still sufficiently strong.

As there was no option for the boy to be operated on in Mongolia, China or Korea, his family ultimately turned to the German Heart Centre Munich. We were delighted to be able to offer the child corrective surgery, not least due to the financial support from the “Heart for Heart – Foundation for Life!”.

Our paediatric heart surgery team, led by Prof. Lange and Dr Cleuziou, operated on the boy successfully on 14 November. Having opened the thorax from the left, they could access the aorta and transect the persistent ductus and constricted site, which was only 3 mm in diameter, subsequently reconnecting the ends of the aorta with fine sutures.

A few hours after surgery, he was weaned from artificial ventilation on the ICU. However, the boy’s blood pressure was significantly elevated and medication must therefore be taken. Overall, however, the operation and postoperative recovery proceeded so rapidly that the boy could be discharged six days after surgery. The surgical scars healed without any problems, and the first outpatient follow-up checks revealed an excellent outcome. Chinguun will spend a few weeks with relatives in Germany before flying back to Mongolia with his mother after a final check at the outpatient department of the German Heart Centre Munich. The paediatric heart surgery team at the German Heart Centre Munich was delighted to see the boy recover so quickly after the operation. Special thanks go to the “Heart for Heart – Foundation for Life!”, Dr Irène Lejeune and Dr Erich Lejeune, for facilitating this procedure with so little bureaucracy.

“Many thanks!” from
Prof. Peter Ewert
Medical Director
German Heart Centre Munich