State-of-the-art equipment to slash open‑heart surgery backlog

Zimbabwe’s sole open-heart surgery center at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has commissioned the new technology, which is anticipated to increase surgical capacity by enabling physicians to carry out treatments more reliably, safely, and without interruptions that previously hindered the program.

With the introduction of this cutting-edge heart-lung machine, Zimbabwe is set to drastically reduce its backlog of open heart surgeries, providing relief to more than 1,000 patients who are in need of urgent cardiac procedures.

For years, Zimbabwe’s open-heart surgery services have struggled to keep pace with rising demand due to ageing machinery and frequent breakdowns that forced operations to be conducted intermittently rather than on a sustained basis.

The newly-acquired Stockert S5 heart-lung machine — also known as a cardiopulmonary bypass machine — was procured by the Government and delivered towards the end of last year, replacing a unit that had been in use for nearly two decades and is no longer in production.

A heart-lung machine temporarily takes over the functions of the heart and lungs during surgery, circulating and oxygenating blood while surgeons operate on a still and bloodless heart.

This allows complex procedures on heart muscles, valves or arteries to be performed safely.

Specialist cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Dr Simukai Machawira said the backlog of patients, many of them children with congenital heart defects, highlighted the urgent need to strengthen local cardiac services.

“If we take the whole country into account, we are looking at more than 1 000 patients who require open heart surgery, particularly paediatric cases. The old machine was over 20 years old and at times we had to stop operating because of mechanical faults.

“That disrupted our momentum and affected how many patients we could assist,” he said.

Dr Machawira described the arrival of the new machine as a major milestone for the programme, which has been gradually rebuilding after years of limited activity.

“We are happy that we have received this new heart-lung machine. It will help us to perform our procedures better on our patients. Today we are commissioning it on our first patient that we are going to be operating using this machine,” he said.

The advanced S5 model is more efficient and less traumatic to blood and blood products compared to its predecessor.

“The old machine is over 20 years old and is no longer in production. This new state-of-the-art machine has six pumps and functions much more efficiently, making procedures safer for patients,” he said.

Beyond improved technology, the greatest benefit is expected to be uninterrupted surgical operations.

“What it means for open heart surgery is that we can now operate continuously. Previously we worked in stops and starts due to machine failure. Now we expect at least five to 10 years of uninterrupted service to our population,” said Dr Machawira.

Zimbabwe’s open heart surgery programme was revived in 2023 after years of reduced activity caused by resource constraints.

Since its revival, 92 patients have undergone surgery, with most procedures performed by local specialists supported by visiting experts handling more complex cases.

With the new equipment now in place, the team is targeting a significant increase in the number of operations this year.

“We are expecting, everything being available, that we can operate on more patients — potentially matching or exceeding last year’s numbers. We are also planning a surgical camp, where we aim to operate on about 10 patients in a week,” he said.

Capacity building is also underway to ensure long-term sustainability.

Two healthcare professionals have been sent to Muhimbili University in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to train as perfusionists — specialists responsible for operating the heart-lung machine during surgery.

“With this new machine and also with the new perfusionists that we have sent for training, we are going to be able to operate more efficiently and increase the number of patients,” he said.

The training initiative is expected to strengthen local expertise and reduce reliance on external specialists, positioning Zimbabwe’s cardiac surgery programme for long-term stability.

Open heart surgery is a major surgical procedure performed to address various heart conditions.

It is performed to treat heart problems like coronary artery disease (blocked arteries), heart valve issues, heart failure and congenital heart defects (present at birth).

The procedure entails cutting open and performing surgery on the muscles, valves, or arteries of the heart to treat problems such as heart failure and coronary artery disease, among others.