"With heartfelt gratitude to the exceptional team at Fudan Pediatrics' Cardiovascular Center, your kindness and expertise stabilized a critical condition and saved the life of a Mongolian infant!" Last week, the Children's Hospital of Fudan University received a letter of thanks from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The family and local doctors of Baby Za (pseudonym), a one-month-old Mongolian infant, expressed profound gratitude to the Fudan Pediatrics team for their dedicated efforts in successfully treating this newborn, who was diagnosed with severe congenital heart disease (CHD) immediately after birth and faced life-threatening danger. Baby Za has now recovered fully and returned home safely.
Diagnosed in Mongolia with extremely severe coarctation of the aorta (CoA), Baby Za's condition was critically unstable. Local doctors, assessing the urgency, recommended immediate transfer and promptly contacted Professor Huang Guoying, Discipline Leader of the Cardiovascular Center at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University. Time was of the essence! As the National Children's Medical Center and a Shanghai Pilot Unit for International Medical Tourism, Fudan Pediatrics responded rapidly. Professor Wang Yi (Hospital President), Director Liu Gongbao (Medical Affairs Department), and Director Ye Ming (Cardiac Surgery Department) coordinated resources to provide comprehensive transfer guidance. On November 2, 2024, with the assistance of the Fudan Pediatrics team, local medical personnel escorted Baby Za and his family from Ulaanbaatar to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. Dr. Shi Qiqi (Cardiac Surgery) and Dr. Li Shujuan (Neonatal Diagnosis and Treatment Center) from Fudan Pediatrics were already on standby at the airport. Upon landing, Baby Za was carefully placed in an incubator and transported professionally to the Fudan Pediatrics inpatient ward.
Following admission, the treatment team immediately conducted comprehensive diagnostics. Cardiac-enhanced CT revealed the most severe narrowing in Baby Za's aortic arch was a mere 1mm, causing significant obstruction to blood circulation and posing an imminent threat to life. Faced with this critical situation, Professor Liu Fang (Director of the Cardiovascular Center) and Director Ye Ming conducted a meticulous evaluation and formulated the optimal treatment plan: to perform a cardiac catheter balloon angioplasty, with surgical correction of the aortic coarctation on standby.
Once prepared, the team proceeded with the life-saving intervention. During the procedure, utilizing advanced minimally invasive techniques, the team precisely dilated the severely narrowed aortic arch to 4.3mm. The pressure gradient across the coarctation site dropped significantly from 67 mmHg to 19 mmHg, and the blood pressure difference between the upper and lower limbs normalized, restoring healthy circulation. Baby Za was successfully stabilized.
Post-operatively, Baby Za received intensive care and monitoring in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) and recovered well. Under the vigilant care of the Critical Care Medicine team, Baby Za safely navigated the critical post-operative period, was transferred to a general ward, and ultimately discharged in good health to return to Mongolia for continued growth.
This successful international medical rescue represents the third complex congenital heart disease patient from Mongolia successfully treated by the team led by Professor Huang Guoying, Discipline Leader of the Cardiovascular Center. It stands as an exemplary case of Sino-Mongolian collaboration in the medical field, showcasing the compassion and strength of international healthcare services.