5-year-old boy makes remarkable recovery after open-heart surgery at Duchess hospital

The Duchess International Hospital has performed a successful complex “open-heart” surgery operation on a five-year-old boy (known as “Master D”), born with a life-threatening congenital heart condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF).

ToF is a significant heart defect that affects the normal flow of blood through the heart and lungs.

The multidisciplinary surgical team, led by Dr Mudasiru Salami, undertook the procedure over three days in May 2025, saving the child’s life and marking a significant medical achievement for the hospital.

Dr Adetokunbo Shitta-Bey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Duchess International Hospital, who spoke with newsmen in Lagos on Monday, explained that the complex surgical procedure was successfully performed in stages over a combined period of approximately 14 hours.

He said it took place between May 19 and May 21, 2025.

According to him, a combined multidisciplinary team of specialised cardiac surgeons, cardiac anaesthetists, perfusionists, and intensivists among others, led by Salami, a Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon, achieved the feat.

He said that Master D had since made a remarkable recovery under the watchful eye of the intensive care team of the Duchess International Hospital’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU).

“He has now been transferred from the CICU for routine observation in the Paediatrics ward,” he said.

Explaining further why this is a great medical feat, Shitta-Bey said that in a normal heart, blood flows to the lungs from the right chambers of the heart to receive oxygen from the lungs.

“Whereas in a heart affected by a Tetralogy of Fallot, the defect causes the blood (which is low in oxygen) to flow in the wrong direction, by-passing the lungs and causing low energy levels.

“In Master D, it also presents with a persistent blue discolouration of his lips and tissues, chronic fatigue, shortness of breath and recurring chest infections.

“All these are classic signs and symptoms of this severe and debilitating congenital heart defect’’.

He said that the patient suffered from the four component malformations of this composite heart disease.

This included a hole in the wall between the two lower chambers of the heart, a narrowing of the valve of the main artery carrying blood to the lungs.

According to him, he also suffered a thickening of the muscle of the right lower chamber of the heart due mainly to a forced protracted increase in pressure and workload.

He added that it included poor positioning of the main artery that carries blood from the heart allowing blood to bypass the lungs and deliver blood poor in oxygen to the tissues and organs of the body.

“In most developed health systems around the world, this heart condition, which is present from birth, would normally be treated by an open-heart surgery operation within six to nine months of birth to prevent further complications occurring in the years to come.

“In Master D’s case, he has had to wait several long years before his delayed presentation at Duchess International Hospital at five years of age”.

Explaining further, Salami, a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, said that to perform such complex open-heart surgery in Master D’s case, the heart had to be arrested for the first five and a half hours.

“This was a huge risk.

“But the first miracle was that the heart came back instantly,’’ Salami remarked.

He emphasised the importance of teamwork, dedication, specialised clinical expertise and cutting-edge medical technology available at the Duchess International Hospital as essential ingredients in the overall success of the procedure.

He thanked Duchess Hospital staff for their show of humanity in donating fresh blood to transfuse the patient at a time this was critically needed.

Mother of the patient, Mrs Olutope Adetona, while speaking, thanked the Duchess Hospital for saving the life of her last-born child.

She noted that she had confidence that the hospital would be able to save her son after watching testimonials of satisfied patients on YouTube who had undergone open heart surgery at the hospital.

Adetona urged parents not to hide any challenge in the family but to speak out so that help can come in time.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in less than four years of its existence, the Duchess International Hospital, which was opened to patients on Oct. 22, 2021, has continued to be a shining light in the delivery of affordable quality healthcare in Nigeria and Africa.

Its cutting-edge medical technology and experienced teams of specialised clinical, non-clinical and allied healthcare professionals have worked tirelessly to reverse the trend of medical tourism abroad.

It has also worked to build confidence and trust in healthcare services in Lagos and across Nigeria.

The hospital has noted an increasing trend of Nigerians in the diaspora coming back home to patronise its services in Lagos.

NAN