Dr. Yasser Menaissy is a well-renowned & experienced Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery in Cairo University, Egypt. He is a Senior Consultant in Adults and Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery with over 33 years of experience. He has performed over 8000 operations in all the spectrum of Heart and Chest Surgeries for adults and pediatrics. He excels in open-heart surgery for coronary artery diseases, like Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, with or without the use of heart lung machine, arterial revascularization and minimal invasive heart surgery for Coronaries and Valves in Adults. In pediatrics he specializes in all the spectrum of pediatric cardiac surgeries.
Dr. Yasser has practiced in several hospitals in Egypt, USA, Italy and UAE, and has received several International awards.
An Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) is a congenital heart defect where there’s an opening in the septum (wall) between the heart’s two upper chambers (atria). This allows oxygen-rich blood from the left atrium to mix with oxygen-poor blood in the right atrium, leading to increased blood flow to the lungs. Over time, this can cause heart and lung damage if untreated. Small ASDs may close on their own, while larger defects may require surgical intervention or a catheter-based procedure to close the opening and prevent complications.
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) happens during pregnancy if the wall that forms between the two ventricles does not fully develop. This leaves a hole. In babies without a heart defect, the right side of the heart pumps oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs. The left side of the heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. In babies with a VSD, blood flows from the left ventricle through the VSD to the right ventricle and into the lungs.
The four heart defects of tetralogy of Fallot include:
The Ross procedure is a surgical treatment for a diseased aortic valve. One of the heart’s four valves, the aortic valve controls the flow of oxygen-rich blood out to the body. If the valve becomes narrowed, a condition known as aortic stenosis, the heart has to work harder to pump, causing the muscle to thicken and potentially leading to heart failure. If the aortic valve becomes leaky, a condition known as valve regurgitation, blood can back up into the heart, which also can eventually cause heart failure.
The standard treatment for either condition is to replace the faulty valve with a prosthetic one that is either mechanical (made from a durable material, such as titanium) or made from animal tissue. But neither is a perfect solution. Tissue valves wear out and have to be replaced, while mechanical valves are prone to blood clots, which means patients with them have to take blood-thinning medications for the rest of their lives.
The Ross procedure provides another option. The surgeon replaces the diseased valve with another of the patient’s own heart valves, the pulmonary valve. The swap works because the pulmonary valve is similarly shaped and can become thick and strong enough to function like an aortic valve. The pulmonary valve, in turn, is replaced with a valve from a cadaver donor.
Sometimes a baby is born with certain types of congenital heart problems. In these cases, a type of open heart surgery called the Fontan procedure is done as the final part of a series of surgeries needed to ensure healthy circulation in the body.
The congenital heart problems that may require the Fontan procedure include:
The main purpose of the Fontan procedure is to make sure blood circulates through the lungs to acquire oxygen to supply the organs, muscles, and other tissue that need oxygen to thrive.
Babies who undergo a successful Fontan procedure often grow to adulthood. They will need lifelong monitoring by a cardiologist.
Many terms are used to describe this complex defect. They include atrioventricular (AV) canal, complete AV canal, complete common AV canal, atrioventricular septal defect and endocardial cushion defect.
A large hole in the center of the heart affecting all four chambers where they would normally be divided. When a heart is properly divided, the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs does not mix with the oxygen-poor blood from the body. A CAVC allows blood to mix and the chambers and valves to not properly route the blood to each station of circulation.
Atrioventricular (AV) canal defect is a large hole in the center of the heart. It’s located where the wall (septum) between the upper chambers (atria) joins the wall between the lower chambers (ventricles). This septal defect involves both upper and lower chambers. The tricuspid and mitral valves that normally separate the heart’s upper and lower chambers aren’t formed as individual valves. Instead a single large valve forms that crosses the defect in the wall between the two sides of the heart.
Most newborns with symptoms will have surgery either right after birth or soon afterward. They will first receive medicines to stabilize them.
Children who are diagnosed when they are older will also need surgery. In most cases, the symptoms are not as severe, so more time can be taken to plan for surgery.
During surgery, the narrowed part of the aorta will be removed or opened.
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) surgery is done to close a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus. Normally, this blood vessel closes after birth. But in PDA, it stays open. This causes some of the blood that should go from the heart to the body to go to the lungs instead.
