By Rodny Alcolea Olivares
For Yordis Andrews Rodríguez and Ayleni Sariol Sánchez, the two-hour surgery their baby Adabi underwent on March 20th was the longest of their lives.
That day, at eight months old, Adabi Andrews Sariol underwent surgery to have a ventriculoperitoneal shunt installed, a procedure that allows a catheter to be placed to carry cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to the abdomen so that the peritoneum can reabsorb it.
But Adabi’s story began long before, recounts Dr. Maydolis Tirado Soler, a specialist in pediatrics, intensive care medicine, and emergency medicine, who serves as head of intensive care services at the Pedro Agustín Pérez Pediatric Hospital in Guantánamo.
Dr. Maydolis Tirado Soler, specialist in pediatrics, head of intensive care services at the Pedro Agustín Pérez Pediatric Hospital in Guantánamo. Photo: Leonel Escalona.
“Adabi was born with a congenital malformation of the nervous system known as myelomeningocele, which means that the bones of the spine do not form completely. He also had congenital hydrocephalus (an excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid), so he arrived at our intensive care unit as a newborn,” explained the specialist.
“Due to the tumor on his back, the child was treated at the Eastern Referral Center for Pediatric Surgery in Holguín province, where he underwent surgery for the myelomeningocele. After the surgery, we received him at the Pedro Agustín Pérez Hospital,” she added.
But the hydrocephalus remained; the volume of cranial fluid was increasing.
First, conservative treatment was administered, with medications such as mannitol and acetazolamide. Then, he underwent an imaging study with neurosurgery, and along with his parents and the doctor, he was transferred to Las Tunas for the CT scan.
After the tests were performed, He was diagnosed with hydrocephalus with special characteristics, due to the multiple septa where abundant cerebrospinal fluid accumulated, which complicated his treatment. In addition, the child presented signs of intracranial hypertension.
Given this situation, the multidisciplinary team attending to the case considered surgery, and after consulting with the national pediatric surgery group, the surgical intervention was performed.
For the operation, a risky and coordinated transfer was carried out to the Dr. Agostinho Neto General Teaching Hospital in the province, where a cubicle was prepared.
After more than two hours, the team of neurosurgeons, intensivists, anesthesiologists, resuscitation specialists, and others successfully performed the surgery, after which he spent 72 hours in intensive care and another 48 in intermediate care. He was then transferred to the orthopedic ward of the Guantánamo pediatric hospital, where he remains with his parents.
Adabi and his parents, Yordis and Ayleni. Photo: Leonel Escalona
Yordis and Ayleni constantly express their gratitude to the doctors, nurses, administrators, and healthcare staff for the many free and loving services they provide to their little Adabi. And I remain silent, look at the child, smile, and think: that is Cuba.
IMAGE CREDIT: Adabi Andrews Sariol. Photos: Leonel Escalona
[ SOURCE: CUBA DEBATE ]
