Lookout | In 16 years, 12,000 children were treated, and they brought "heart" hope to the children

Bring "heart" hope to children

Treating a child with congenital heart disease can save a family

The success rate of surgery will not be 100%, but a doctor's dedication to the patient can be 100%

"The thought of these children being able to live happily and healthily somewhere, with the important people in their lives, is why the job is tiring but happy."

Wen | Xu Buyun, a reporter for the "Lookout" news weekly, and an intern Wei Mengmeng

In 2005, China's first congenital heart disease love survey car departed from the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University. In their 16th year, they have not only traveled all over Hebei Province, but also as far away as other provinces and even overseas, conducting free heart health examinations for more than 200,000 children and successfully treating more than 12,000 children.

The team includes both well-known experts, the backbone of the "post-80s" and the young medical staff of the "post-90s", with an average age of only more than 30 years old. Dong Yanbo, a congenital cardiologist, is one of them.

Don't let your child miss the opportunity

In 2004, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University received an extremely rare pair of conjoined baby girls with a chest and abdomen. This was the third case of a conjoined baby with a chest and abdomen and congenital heart disease in the country at that time, which attracted much social attention. Thanks to the efforts of the hospital's cardiac surgery department, the split surgery of the baby was successfully completed.

After the successful operation, many parents came to the hospital with their children with congenital heart disease. Doctors found that there were a large number of children with congenital heart disease in Hebei.

"Congenital heart disease" is short for congenital heart disease vascular disease, which is one of the most common congenital malformations among all newborn birth defects. "If these children are not treated in time, their health may become worse and worse. They must not be allowed to miss the opportunity for treatment. Dong Yanbo said that this is the original intention of establishing a congenital heart disease love team.

In order to treat more children with congenital heart disease, under the initiative of the Hebei Provincial Government and the Women's Federation, on August 23, 2004, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University officially launched the project of loving treatment of children with congenital heart disease, and in 2005, the first congenital heart disease love screening vehicle in China was launched to form a love team.

According to the "China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report" released in 2019, the detection rate of congenital heart disease is 2.4 ‰ to 10.4 ‰, that is, 2 to 10 out of every 1000 newborns have congenital heart malformations or defects. "If treatment is not timely, the mortality rate of the child in infancy and infancy will reach 20% to 30%."

Dong Yanbo once encountered an eight- or nine-month-old baby, severe pulmonary artery stenosis led to blood return disorders, which in turn caused edema throughout the body, "the child's skin is particularly tight, and the hands and feet are transparent." Dong Yanbo said that as early as when the child was two or three months old, parents had seen that the baby's lips were a little purple, "but due to the lack of understanding of congenital heart disease, it has not been common to take the child to the doctor." ”

The damage of congenital heart disease to the human body is imperceptible. "The beating of the heart accumulates over time, which will cause damage to the body, and the body will bear a huge burden." The sooner treatment is obtained, the better it is for the future health of infants and young children. This is also the reason why Dong Yanbo and his colleagues have insisted on free census and science popularization work for many years.

"Saving a child with congenital heart disease can save a family." This responsibility on the shoulders makes the first heart disease love team of the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University cannot stop.

Love can be passed on

In 2007, Dong Yanbo just joined the work team of congenital heart disease.

In his opinion, the treatment of heart disease in advance is a very fulfilling thing. Seeing those children who were born deficient and full of vitality again because of their own efforts, his pride suddenly sprang up. However, if he encounters a child whose parents do not understand the congenital heart disease and delays the treatment time, Dong Yanbo will "feel particularly distressed".

Dong Yanbo and his team once went to rural Hebei to stunt the heart for local children for free and check their blood oxygen saturation. In addition to the basic examination, they will also explain the science to parents, show them the existing rescue resources, and help them learn to apply for the foundation's relief funds.

Many parents of children with congenital heart disease refer to the love survey car as a "life-saving car".

From so many years of prior heart disease screening work, Dong Yanbo is particularly pleased that people have more and more awareness of congenital heart disease, "more and more people understand this disease." Before, some parents would feel that if the child had no symptoms, it was healthy. ”

In order to solve the problem that the effect of the love census is difficult to last, they also contacted grass-roots medical institutions to explain the professional knowledge of "congenital heart disease" to local staff. In this way, every time they went to a place, they tried their best to set up a love census station in the local area.

"This is to improve the efficiency of the census, so that children do not miss the opportunity for further treatment at the first threshold." When the love census car leaves, these stations can help collect information about the children and feedback data to Dong Yanbo and his department. "Even if there is only one patient, we will have to go again."

Since 2010, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University has taken the initiative to unite with relevant grass-roots departments and medical institutions to set up 22 "Congenital Heart Disease Love Screening Stations" and 18 "Designated Hospitals for The Rescue and Treatment of Congenital Heart Disease for Poor Children" in 9 districted cities in the province, so that local poor children can apply for relief and assistance without leaving the county.

In some remote and poor areas, such as Tibet, Sichuan, Guizhou and other poor areas, the incidence of congenital heart disease is almost twice that of the central and eastern regions. In the past, many poor families could not afford surgery and lacked medical conditions, and eventually had to abandon treatment. To this end, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University cooperated with a number of foundations to assist patients' families in applying for rescue funds.

Dong Yanbo once helped a patient from a poor mountainous area in Sichuan and applied for a relief fund through the Hospital Help Patient Contact Foundation. Thanks to the doctor's efforts, this young man from Sichuan regained his health. Today, the former patient is doing a local charity job, specifically helping out-of-school children.

"Love can be passed on." Dong Yanbo was relieved.

I am comrades-in-arms with patients

Dong Yanbo said that doctors and patients should have a comrade-in-arms relationship - facing the challenges of the disease together, trusting each other, slowly running in, and supporting each other. "I've never given up on a single patient." In his eyes, the success rate of surgery will not be 100%, but the doctor's dedication to the patient can be 100%.

Dong Yanbo often encounters children in critical condition. When he first started doing the love census, he met a little girl from Qinhuangdao. The girl's father held her and asked many hospitals for help, and everyone asked, "Can our children still be treated?" ”

Dong Yanbo and his colleagues examined the little girl's condition and took her in for surgery the next day. Today, the little girl has grown up. A few years ago, when she got married, she also invited doctors to attend the wedding as "mother's family". "The thought of these children being able to recover smoothly, live happily and healthily, and accompany the important people in their lives is why I feel tired but happy about this job."

Dong Yanbo said that with the maturity of the treatment technology of congenital heart disease, the cost of treatment has gradually declined, and the intervention of public welfare forces in society has further reduced the economic burden of patients' families.

Not only parents holding children come to the hospital for help, but also adults with congenital heart disease.

Dong Yanbo has treated a special congenital heart disease patient. He suffered from severe pulmonary hypertension, fainted many times, and even nearly died suddenly, and after going to many hospitals, doctors recommended conservative treatment because the risk of surgery was very high.

Operating on this patient is also an "adventure" for Dong Yanbo. Fortunately, it worked out – the patient's heart function recovered well. "When we meet adults who have room for treatment, we all have to treat them as actively as possible."

Over the years of practicing medicine, fatigue and risk have often accompanied Dong Yanbo, but he has not retreated. "People live in the world and always have to do something meaningful." Dong Yanbo said.