Life of 6-year-old from Haiti in danger
Woodley Elysee, who landed in Israel together with IDF aid mission to Haiti, undergoes surgery to repair heart defect, however sudden hemorrhage leaves him in critical condition. Doctors from all fields turn up in effort to save his life
After nearly 14 hours in the operating room six-year-old Woodley Elysee was transferred back Tuesday to the Intensive Care Unit at the Edith Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. He is in critical condition and his life is in danger.
Woodley arrived in Israel from Haiti last month together with the IDF aid mission and his aunt Judith in order to undergo a heart surgery on a congenital heart defect he suffers from.
The heart defect has left Woodley unable to function as a normal child and his life was forever in danger.
He entered the operating room in Holon Tuesday for what was meant to last several hours, however during the surgery his condition began to deteriorate. "The surgery itself ended in the afternoon, but Woodley developed a hemorrhage in his left lung," Dr. Zion Huri, the Children's ICU manager told Ynet.
"We spent the entire afternoon trying to stop the bleeding. At one point we even considered removing part of the lung. Had it not been for the complication, Woodley would have been fine by now."
Woodley at the hospital (Photo: AP)
Many doctors arrived at the OR throughout the day including heart surgeons, lung experts, cardiologists and ICU specialists. They all rallied in an effort to stop the bleeding which put Woodley's life in danger.
'Condition may change'
After the hemorrhage was successfully stopped Woodley was attached to an ECMO machine which provides cardiac and respiratory support oxygen. "He is in critical condition but right now he's the most stable he's been throughout the day. However, the condition may yet change," Dr. Huri said.
Outside the OR, Woodley's aunt Judith sat waiting all day long. "I hope that she will be able to see him soon and then we'll try to talk her into going to sleep for a while since she has a rough day head of her tomorrow," Dr. Huri noted.
The operation was funded by the Save A Child's Heart foundation which has facilitated the surgeries of thousands of children with heart defects from around the world, some of them from countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations.
