MUHIMBILI National Hospital (MNH) has for the first time in history performed a coronary procedure to improve blood supply to heart muscles by using small tubes called stent to widen narrowed coronary arteries.
Speaking to journalists, cardiac specialist and head of the Cardiac Unit at MNH, Dr Mohamed Janabi, said the programme started on Monday with two patients whose arteries were blocked and were treated by the use of stents to widen the narrow arteries.
Dr Janabi said the treatment was being administered using a special machine called Cath Lab, which examines the heart to find out if there are any disease of the heart muscles, valves or heart arteries. During the procedure, the pressure of the blood flow is also measured.
"This procedure has never been done anywhere in the country, this is the first time that this is being done at the national hospital, at the Cardiac Centre where patients are examined and treated for narrow or weak arteries which, if not treated, will result in a heart attack," he explained.
He noted that this will reduce the number of patients who spend a lot of money to receive the treatment outside the country, noting that a team of experts from the United States and India was in the country to help with the procedure as well as build local capacity.
Dr Janabi added that 18 patients will be examined and treated using stents where needed by a team of experts from the US, led by Prof Peter Obrien, an intervention cardiologist, and Ms Jordan Slayton, a registered nurse. Both are in the country under the Madaktari Africa-US initiative.
Dr Mullasari Ajit from Madras Medical Mission explained that more than one stent can be placed in one patient, depending on the extent of blockages in the arteries.
Tatizo Waane added that the Cath Lab machine, which cost the government about US 2 million dollars to procure, would help determine the extent of arteries blockage in patients, which would in turn help determine what was required for treatment.
Prof Obrien explained that the stents, which are small metal tubes, help prevent heart attacks and, in some cases, chest pains, commending the MNH team for doing an excellent job.
He said the two patients who received stents on Monday were recuperating and doing very well, noting that one procedure could take between 30 minutes to two hours.
So far the national hospital has performed 543 heart surgeries, which has saved the nation a lot of money that would have otherwise been spent on seeking treatment overseas.
MNH cardio surgery surgeon, Dr Evarist Nyawawa, explained that the Cardiac Centre helped save half of the money spent by patients seeking treatment outside the country, stressing that the local capacity was well equipped to handle local demand.
Dr Janabi added that the Cath Lab machine was also found in Kenya and Uganda, noting that the national hospital was targeting patients from Burundi and Rwanda, which currently do not have the machine.
