GIVEN CHANCE TO LIVE

Chronicle (Levin), 6 May 1949, Page 7

GIVEN CHANCE TO LIVE

Press Association )

Successful Operations On "Blue Babies"

( Per

WELLINGTON, May 5. Eighteen children who were "blue babies" or had a closely aliied heart affliction making them weakly and breathless, have been given a chance to live normal lives becanse of successful operations at the heart surgery unit at the Green Lane Hospitai, Auckland, np to March 31 last. The story of the establishment of the unit was told to Hospitai Board represetnatives inj Wellington this week by Mr. H. Selwyn Kenrick, superintendent-in-chiei of the Auckland Hospitai Board. He said the results obtained by Dr. Douglas Iiobb, seuior surgeon at the unit, and his team, compared favourably with those obtained in the best clinics in the world, ihere was iittle to choose betweeu the results obtained at Guy's Hospitai, London, and at Green Lane. ' ' Where success is achieved the result is very striking indeed, said Mr. Kenrick. "From being blue, breathless aud weakly wrui a marked sweiling ojf clubbing oi • of the ends of the fingers, tne ciiild assuiiies the normal pmk colour aud gains quickly in generai health and strength. 1 saw oue ehild who had been very eyanotic before the operation, runniiig round the ward three vveeks after the operation. On iny saying to her "well, you little rascal, how do you like hospitai now?" she answered rather ambiguously, '1 like hospitai but 1 arn golng liome soon.' She then went on to say 'see what my : doetor put in my autograph book. ' 1 opened the hook, recognised Dr. Robb's writing and read: 'Roses are red, violets are blue, carnations are pink and so are you.' It was very appropriate for indeed she was no longer n blue baby. Slie was a nice pink; colour. " Mr. Kenrick said that to March , 31 last, 65 cases had been exainin- ; ed at the clinic and there 'was a. waiting list then of 39 cases.; These cases had come from Ashburton, Christchurch, Nelson,! Wellington, Raetihi, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, North Auckland, Napier and Auckland. Surgical' treatment had been* carried out iii 11 cases of pafeiit-ductus arteri-. ousus. None was lost and all were doing well. The true blue baby cases — eyanotic heart disease — L'or whieh an operation ' had been performed, had totalled 11. Nine; recovered and two died. One of ' the deaths was attributable to a. cerebral condition wliich was cqii-. sidered unrelated to the operation. The operation had to be abandoned in four cases because of an abnormality rendering the operation proeedure impossible or inadvisable. Mr. Kenrick gave a summary of figures as follows : — Cases operated on 22, successful 18, unsuccessl'ul 2 (operation abandoned), died 2 (oue from operation and one from cerebral condition). It was very satisfactory, coneluded Mr. Kenrick, to see the Health Department working in close cooperation with one of the major hospitai boards to establish a speeial unit sueh as this, a unit wliich was to serve all New Zealand and not just/ Auckland. Treatment was, of conrse, entire-, ly free. *