In Ağrı, baby Zeyd Ali Karakol, who was born with reversed heart vessels and was transferred to our Ankara Bilkent City Hospital by air ambulance, regained his health after a successful operation in which his reversed vessels were corrected.
About 20 days ago, baby Zeyd Ali Karakol was born at Ağrı Training and Research Hospital with a congenital heart disease called "transposition of the great arteries." For advanced treatment, he was transferred to our Bilkent City Hospital by an air ambulance sent by the Ministry of Health.
Here, the treatment process was planned by pediatric cardiology and neonatology specialists, and Zeyd Ali underwent surgery on his 10th day of life. After a successful operation that corrected the reversed vessels in his heart, the baby recovered and was discharged from the hospital, allowing him to spend his first holiday with his family.
Prof. Dr. Atakan Atalay, Administrative and Training Officer of the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Clinic at our Bilkent City Hospital, gave a statement about the surgery, explaining that the disease called "transposition of the great arteries" causes the main arteries leaving the heart to be positioned incorrectly.
“When he arrived at the hospital, he was 16 hours old”
Prof. Dr. Atakan Atalay said that baby Zeyd Ali was transferred to Ankara by air ambulance immediately after birth due to his condition. “When the baby was brought to Bilkent City Hospital, he was only 16 hours old. After his arrival, our neonatal and pediatric cardiology teams evaluated him. Tests were performed and preparations for surgery were made,” he shared.
Prof. Dr. Atalay explained that transposition of the great arteries is one of the congenital heart diseases commonly seen in the newborn period, and added:
“Normally, the aorta emerges from the left side of the heart, and the artery going to the lungs comes out of the right side. In this baby, the positions were completely reversed. Since he is a very small infant, naturally his heart is small as well. We carefully switched the positions of these two vessels. At the same time, the coronary arteries that supply the heart were detached and reconnected, and our patient regained his health.”
Atalay noted that babies with this condition are usually operated on within the first three weeks after birth to enable a normal life. He said Zeyd Ali underwent surgery 10 days after arriving at the hospital, and the operation lasted 4 hours.
Currently 20 days old, Zeyd Ali is in very good condition and has been discharged from the hospital, Atalay said. “He will spend a happy holiday with his family. From now on, he will live his life like any other healthy child.”
“Double celebration”
Zeyd Ali’s father, Ömer Karakol, expressed his happiness at his son’s recovery: “Hopefully, my baby will grow up to be a good child for his country and nation. May God never deprive our state of support — we came here by air ambulance. With our baby’s recovery and discharge, we experienced a double celebration.”
Karakol also thanked the doctors and healthcare staff for their care and attention.