The Duchess International Hospital, Lagos, has successfully performed a complex open-heart surgery to correct Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF), a severe congenital heart defect, in a five-year-old boy.
The high-risk operation was carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Dr Mudasiru Salami, between May 19 and May 21, 2025. The procedure involved a staged surgical approach lasting approximately 15 hours.
Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Tokunbo Shitta-Bey, described the surgery as one of the most challenging yet rewarding procedures undertaken at the facility. He explained: “ToF is a life-threatening heart defect that affects the normal flow of blood from the heart to the lungs, resulting in poor oxygenation.
“This child had reached a critical stage, presenting with symptoms such as persistent blue discoloration, fatigue, breathlessness, and recurrent chest infections. Today, we are proud to announce he has made a remarkable recovery and has been moved out of intensive care,” he said.
Shitta-Bey commended the hospital’s surgical and critical care teams for their coordinated effort, stating that the child had endured years of debilitating symptoms, including severe fatigue, bluish skin discoloration, breathlessness, and recurrent infections, all typical indicators of the congenital defect.
The leader of the surgical team, Dr Salami, explained that the operation required temporarily stopping the child’s heart, repairing a large ventricular septal defect, and reconstructing the narrowed pulmonary arteries using synthetic patches. “The child’s heart had developed a large ventricular septal defect (VSD), a narrowed pulmonary outflow tract, an overriding aorta, and significant thickening of the right ventricular muscle — the four hallmarks of Tetralogy of Fallot,” he said.
Salami further noted: “The child also presented with impaired liver function, dangerously low oxygen levels, and coagulation issues, which made the surgery extremely high risk.”
He added that following the initial success of the procedure, the child experienced significant bleeding, prompting the team to place him back on bypass to address the source of the bleeding. According to him, the second intervention stabilised the child’s condition and ensured a successful outcome.
The parents of the child, Mr John and Mrs Adetoun, commended the Duchess International Hospital for the life-saving care provided to their son. They encouraged other families facing similar challenges not to stay silent but to seek help early, noting that early diagnosis, combined with the right medical intervention, could make all the difference.
