Early diagnosis and timely treatment can markedly improve the chances of survival of the children born with congenital heart disease, consultant paediatric and cardiologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) Dr Babar Hasan said on Wednesday. He was speaking at a public awareness seminar organised at the university. Dr Hasan said that since the inception of the AKUH’s congenital paediatric cardiac surgery unit in 2006, over 800 surgical procedures of varying complexities have been performed.
“We provide the most comprehensive cardiovascular services throughout the country with designated surgeons, cardiologists, intensivists and cardiac anaesthesiologists all trained in the management of congenital heart disease,” he added. Other speakers on the occasion shed light on varying topics including infectious diseases in young children and the importance of adequate diets. Dr Farah Qamar, consultant for paediatric infectious diseases at the AKUH, said that most episodes of diarrhoea are self-limiting and medications such as antibiotics and anti-diarrhoeal are generally not necessary; instead, they could be harmful. She warned that immediate medical attention should be sought for children if they refuse to eat or drink, have periodic abdominal pain that lasts over two hours and if they become irritable or cranky. “Bloody diarrhoea or signs of moderate to severe dehydration are alarming conditions too,” she added. AKUH’s consultant paediatricians Dr Maqbool Qadir and Dr Khalil Ahmed discussed at length children’s growth and eating habits. “The most common complaint that we hear from mothers is that their one-year-old has stopped eating,” said Dr Qadir. “However, as long as your child is active, developing adequately and has some weight gain, parents should be reassured that their child is growing normally.”
