Netherland Boy's Heart Condition Solved by Turkish Hospital

By Mohamed Taki - Medical Research Editor | March 27th, 2012

During the last decade, Turkey has raised the bar on its health care system particularly in the heart surgery and organ transplantation departments, preceding medical standards available in first-world countries, like the Netherlands.

This is a miraculous success story of Gencal Doganay, a 16-year-old boy living in the Netherlands, endured an arduous medical journey that ended with a successful heart surgery from Netherlands to Turkey.

Gencal Donganay is the first patient suffering from a congenia pulmonary vein and heart condition and to undergo heart surgery at his age.

Gencal Doganay’s family began to notice he was fatigued more easily. He had a tendency to take naps whenever he had the opportunity and his breathing was labored at times. Gencal wasn’t able to join his friends in soccer practice and had trouble taking the stairs.

That’s when his family realized it wasn’t just temporary exhaustion and he had to see a doctor. The doctors in the Netherlands reported no medical conditions and they returned home without a solution.

His physical performance took a hit and he often returned home from soccer practice tired and couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t long before he lost interest and quit soccer. He paid the doctor another visit, but was met with the same conclusion as there was no medical reason found.

Refusing to give up on sports, Gencal took up swimming on weekends. Sadly, he started to experience the same symptoms.

His parents were convinced that their son was suffering from a serious medical problem. So they contacted Memorial Hizmet Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, where Gencal was thoroughly examined and medically evaluated for possible heart problems.

They met with Dr. Kaya Suzer, one of Turkey’s leading cardiovascular surgeons, who diagnosed Gencal with a congenial heart condition and pulmonary vein problem.

After the investigations Prof.Kaya Suzer found out that he has a congenital disease and his pulmonary vessels are placed opposite of where they need to be resulting with only 50 percent of cleansed blood could be pumped to his heart.

Congenital heart disease is a birth defect most common in newborns, which doctors in the Netherlands failed to diagnose.

After taking some medical tests in Turkey, Gencal’s parents took the reports back to the Netherlands and presented them to the doctors. However, Gencal had to wait for months until he was given a date for his heart surgery in Netherlands.

Since this type of heart disease must be diagnosed in early stages; during the first 8-12 years of the patient, it was already late for Gencal, now a 16-year-old boy with a rare congenital heart condition.

The boy’s parents could not wait any longer and decided to let their son receive the heart surgery in Istanbul, Turkey at Memorial Hizmet Hospital.

Gencal has successfully undergone the heart surgery and soon returned back to his normal life, enjoying active sports and soccer. Doganay is the first 16-year-old to undergo an operation of this nature in Turkey.

“Gencal’s condition is very common among children. However, his problem at veins of the lung caused his severe condition. He was the oldest patient suffering from this disease to have been operated on at age of 16.” said Dr. Suzer.

Many overseas patients with heart conditions are affected by lengthy waiting-lines and flawed health care systems that fail to detect and diagnose rare heart conditions. That’s why a growing number of patients travel for heart surgery in Turkey to avail of the speedy medical attention required for critical conditions and the overlooked advanced health care standards.

Memorial Heart Center is recognized as a regional leader in providing advanced cardiac treatment for adults and children. Contact them for more information.

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