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Burkina Faso: First open-heart surgery
The first open-heart surgery in Burkina Faso's medical history took place.
Burkina Faso’s healthcare system impacted by deteriorating security situation
A West African country of around 20 million inhabitants, Burkina Faso shares borders with Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. It ranks 183rd (out of 189) in the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) 2018 Human Development Index (HDI).
With a per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $787 (around 650 euros) in 2019, Burkina Faso is also one of the world’s poorest countries.
Finally, in terms of its healthcare system, Burkina Faso appears to be heavily impacted and weakened by the context of insecurity that has plagued the country for several years. This is reflected in a number of violent attacks targeting both civilians and public institutions.
As a result of this climate, more than 1.5 million people in Burkina Faso have no access to healthcare.
Zalissa, Burkina Faso’s 1st open-heart surgery patient
In 2018, 6-year-old Fanta became the 1st child in Mali to undergo open-heart surgery. She was suffering from atrial septal defect (ASD), a congenital heart defect that results in communication between the heart’s 2 right and left atria.
In 2021, Burkina Faso saw the 1st open-heart surgery in its medical history. On January 12, 2021, 15-year-old Zalissa underwent a successful operation at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Tengandogo in Ouagadougou.
This major medical breakthrough took place during a La Chaîne de l’Espoir surgical mission from January 9 to 16, 2021 at this hospital establishment, where the association has been helping to set up a cardiac surgery unit for almost 2 years.
This support consists of 2 essential components:
- The supply of equipment and consumables adapted to this type of advanced surgery,
- Training and skills enhancement for Burkina Faso’s medical and paramedical teams.
The cardiac surgery mission, initiated by La Chaîne de l’Espoir, was led by Professor Gérard Babatasi, Head of Cardiac Surgery at Caen University Hospital. He was accompanied for the occasion by 8 caregivers, including an anesthetist/resuscitator, intensive care and anesthesia nurses, a perfusionist and an operating room nurse.
These healthcare staff worked closely with the medical team at Tengandogo University Hospital, led by Doctor Adama Sawadogo, who was trained by La Chaîne de l’Espoir in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.
In addition to its historic nature, this mission was also an opportunity for a new transfer of skills to enable the staff of the Tengandogo University Hospital to become autonomous.
Prior to this significant medical breakthrough, Burkinabe children suffering from heart disease requiring open-heart surgery had to be transferred to France for surgery in La Chaîne de l’Espoir partner hospitals.
During this mission, several children with heart disease benefited from open-heart surgery with young Zalissa.
“It was an extremely important meeting. We all felt that the President of Faso was extremely sensitive to this cause. He fervently hopes that the healthcare system will be able to commit to a long-term plan for children’s cardiac pathology, but also for adult pathology […]. […] We all have a dream, which is to operate here, because it makes medical sense and is financially beneficial for families”.
Dr Eric Cheysson, President of La Chaîne de l’Espoir, told local media after his meeting with Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
Autonomous closed-heart surgery at Tengandogo University Hospital
A few weeks after these 1st open-heart operations, La Chaîne de l’Espoir, present in Burkina Faso since 1998, organized closed-heart surgery in partnership with the Tengandogo University Hospital.
During this new mission, 5 children aged between 2 and 12 were operated on; 4 were suffering from patent ductus arteriosus (PCA), a congenital heart defect corresponding to the non-closure of the normal duct between the pulmonary artery and the aorta at birth, and 1 from obstructive airway thymoma, a solid tumor that prevented him from breathing. They were successfully operated on between March 23 and 25, 2021 by Doctor Adama Sawadogo and his team at Tengandogo University Hospital, in complete autonomy, thanks to the financial and technical support of the association.
This is the second series of closed-heart operations financed by La Chaîne de l’Espoir and carried out by an all-Burkinabè medical team.
This action is part of La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s strategy to empower local medical teams and provide support in the form of medical equipment, consumables and medicines to facilitate access to quality care for children suffering from heart disease.
