The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) has introduced an Interstage Monitoring Programme to help families with infants born with heart abnormalities, that need multiple surgeries.
The programme will provide infants with a group of physicians, nurses and administrative staff to help monitor the child at home, waiting for their heart surgery to happen.
Infants born with severe types of heart abnormalities normally undergo an initial open-heart surgery in their first few days of life, followed by a second heart surgery after six months. Newborns are discharged during the wait between the first and second surgery.
The programme was established by Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) in July 2020 and currently has over 30 infants enrolled for home monitoring.
Dr Anwar Sallam, Group Chief Medical Officer at SEHA said, "Newborns face a higher risk of death during the interstage period, due to the increased toll a simple virus or other infections can have on an abnormally developed heart. With parents not knowing what to watch out for, and how rapidly a newborn with a heart abnormality’s health can deteriorate, the SKMC pediatric cardiac surgical department have taken the lead in introducing a programme that enables the continuous monitoring and care of infants at home during the waiting period."