also performed Malaysia ’ s first lung transplantation and first mechanical heart implantation in 2005 , as well as Malaysia ’ s first double lung transplantation in October 2007 .
As organ donors are hard to come by in the country , the centre has also been proactive in looking at novel solutions for our heart failure patients . IJN was among the first in Malaysia to introduce state-of-the-art technology for patients suffering from end stage heart disease , including the left ventricular assist device ( LVAD ) and the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ( ECMO ). These systems offer patients full circulatory support and are lightweight enough to offer patients the freedom of mobility to continue carrying out their daily activities .
Care from infancy to adulthood IJN ’ s Paediatric and Congenital Heart Centre ( PCHC ) is currently Malaysia ’ s go-to centre for complex heart surgery in children and remains the country ’ s sole provider of proven services for paediatric heart rhythm problems .
Quality follow-up care is especially important for congenital heart patients as they grow up , as this determines their quality of life as adults . To this end , PCHC offers cutting-edge treatments , particularly minimallyinvasive procedures . Such options help patients avoid undergoing open heart surgeries and reduce the need for repeat procedures as they get older .
The centre ’ s achievements in recent years include the implantation of a bioabsorbable stent for infants with heart complications and a device closure of patent ductus arteriousis ( PDA ) procedure for preterm babies ( weighing at least 1.5kg ). In August 2022 , the centre successfully carried out transcatheter pulmonary valve ( TPV ) replacement therapy on five patients .
En Akmal Akmal Arief Mohamed Fauzi & Varun Panjwani
This non-surgical method restores function of the pulmonary valve in children and adults , particularly those who need to replace their existing surgical valves or conduits .
PCHC also works closely with the Malaysian Paediatric Cardiac Society on its critical congenital heart disease registry . This collaboration ensures that congenital heart disease patients who urgently require surgery or other interventions are able to receive their treatment without undue delay , thus leading to better long-term outcomes .
Immediate emergency care The IJN Heart Attack Centre provides 24-hour emergency treatment to heart attack patients through a procedure called Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention or Primary PCI . This is a specialised procedure that opens blocked arteries in the heart via balloon angioplasty or stents and is performed in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory by a cardiologist . While Primary PCI is the current definitive treatment for heart attacks , time is of the essence for its success — ideally , heart attack patients should receive the treatment within 90 minutes of their arrival at the hospital . To effectively work within this tight timeframe , the Emergency Department , led by emergency physicians , is supported by round-the-clock cardiologists , cardiothoracic surgeons , and anaesthetists with expertise in cardiac critical care .
This interdisciplinary approach has paid off , as the centre ’ s in-hospital mortality rate for heart attacks has gradually fallen to just three percent in 2019 . In contrast , the overall Malaysian in-hospital mortality rate of heart attacks for the same year was 10.6 percent .
Recognising the importance of increasing access to Primary PCI , the centre in 2014 initiated a collaboration
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