18.01.2026 19:20
A 22-year-old woman who went to the hospital with complaints of shortness of breath and fatigue was operated on after it was determined that she had a hole in her heart. When her oxygen levels dropped, further tests revealed that dirty blood was mixing with clean blood in her heart. The woman regained her health after a second surgery. The doctor who performed the surgeries stated that the woman's condition is a case seen in one in a million.
Seher Danabaş, a mother of two living in Kahramanmaraş, applied to Sütçü İmam Health Application and Research Hospital with complaints such as shortness of breath and quick fatigue.
2 HOLES FOUND IN HER HEART During the examination and tests conducted by Associate Professor Dr. Mehmet Kirişci from the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, it was determined that 22-year-old Danabaş had two holes in her heart, one of which was 4 centimeters wide. Danabaş was taken into surgery, and the holes in her heart were successfully closed using a minimally invasive method.
THE TRUTH EMERGED WHEN OXYGEN LEVEL DROPPED After Seher Danabaş was taken to intensive care, tests revealed that her blood oxygen level was lower than before the surgery. It was also determined that the right side of Danabaş's heart was functioning improperly. Instead of the dirty blood carried by the veins in her heart flowing to the right side, it was found to be flowing to the left side, mixing clean and dirty blood. Following this, the patient was taken back into surgery. With a successful open-heart surgery, the flow of dirty blood to the left side of the heart was redirected to the right side. After the surgery, all of Seher Danabaş's values returned to normal.
"IT IS A RARE CONDITION SEEN IN ONE IN A MILLION" Associate Professor Dr. Mehmet Kirişci stated that the problem in Seher Danabaş's heart is a rare case in medical literature, saying, "We performed surgery on Ms. Seher due to her complaints of shortness of breath and quick fatigue caused by having two holes in her heart. We performed the heart surgery using a minimally invasive method and closed both holes. After closing the heart hole, we observed that the oxygen levels in this patient’s blood were low and that there was a malfunction in the functioning of the right side of the heart. Upon reevaluating and taking her films, we noticed that the veins located at the lower part of the heart should have been flowing to the right side but were instead flowing to the left side, resulting in a mixture of dirty and clean blood. According to the literature, this is a rare condition seen in one in a million. We took our patient back into surgery, opened the area where the hole was, and by reopening the passage point of that vein, we closed the hole again, and thus her heart has returned to the state of a normal healthy person," he said.
"HAVING CHILDREN IS A MIRACULOUS SITUATION" Mehmet Kirişci described Seher Danabaş's ability to give birth to two children despite the problems in her heart as miraculous, stating: "During pregnancy, the performance of the heart with holes becomes very difficult and tiresome. In this situation, there could have been cases of fetal death or sudden maternal death; it was a risky situation. The fact that our patient has lived this long with such a large hole is indeed a miraculous situation. She has also had two children, but having done so with these holes in her heart and circulatory issues is truly miraculous. The reason she has been able to tolerate this until her age is due to the hole in her heart. The blood finds its way by flowing through this hole."
"THE DOCTOR WAS VERY SURPRISED THAT I HAVE 2 CHILDREN" Seher Danabaş stated that she went to the hospital with complaints of shortness of breath but was very surprised to learn that she had two separate issues with her heart, saying, "I came to the hospital, the doctor told me that I had holes in my heart, and he operated on me. After the surgery, the doctor told me that clean blood was mixing with dirty blood and operated on me again. The doctor said that my condition was seen in one in a million. It was said that it was impossible for me to have children due to this condition, but I have two children, and the doctor was very surprised by this," she said.