First heart surgery patients doing well

TWO weeks after leading a team of South African heart specialists in performing the first open-heart surgeries in a Namibian hospital, Professor Johan Brink from Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital on Friday visited the country again to check on the condition of the nine Namibians whose lives were changed by their work last month.

When The Namibian visited the new cardiac unit in the Windhoek Central Hospital on Friday, only one of the nine people who went under the knife for heart valve replacement or repair was still being treated in the intensive care unit. Sixteen-year-old Joseph Kamati was scheduled to be discharged from ICU over the weekend.According to Professor Brink, Kamati contracted pneumonia after the operation.The rest of the historic group had all been transferred to the regular ward, and were all eager to be released.”I’m still sick, but I’m better now”, said 16-year-old Claudia Sheehama from Oshakati when asked about her condition.Besides cautioning his patients against taking up contact sports, and warning that they will need to use blood-thinning medication for a number of years, Brink said he foresaw a normal, healthy life ahead for all.Brink said with the new theatre equipment at the Windhoek Central Hospital about 80 to 90 per cent of heart operations could now be done locally.This would depend on the training of Namibian heart specialists, though.The health ministries of Namibia and South Africa were planning the way forward on this, Brink said.It is expected that most of the patients will be released this week.Sixteen-year-old Joseph Kamati was scheduled to be discharged from ICU over the weekend.According to Professor Brink, Kamati contracted pneumonia after the operation.The rest of the historic group had all been transferred to the regular ward, and were all eager to be released.”I’m still sick, but I’m better now”, said 16-year-old Claudia Sheehama from Oshakati when asked about her condition.Besides cautioning his patients against taking up contact sports, and warning that they will need to use blood-thinning medication for a number of years, Brink said he foresaw a normal, healthy life ahead for all.Brink said with the new theatre equipment at the Windhoek Central Hospital about 80 to 90 per cent of heart operations could now be done locally.This would depend on the training of Namibian heart specialists, though.The health ministries of Namibia and South Africa were planning the way forward on this, Brink said.It is expected that most of the patients will be released this week.