Dr. Andrei Hristov: We work with faith and we never think that we will not succeed

Every year on 7 April we celebrate World Health Day. This year, the World Health Organization is focusing on the theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures”, with an emphasis on maternal and newborn care. On this occasion, we talk to Dr. Andrey Hristov – head of the neonatology department at the newest specialized hospital for maternal and child health in the country – ‘Mama and I‘.

Dr. Hristov is a long-standing national consultant in neonatology for Central Northern Bulgaria, intensive care therapist with extensive clinical experience in the resuscitation and treatment of newborns, including extremely premature babies. He is board certified in abdominal and transfontal ultrasonography and has introduced a number of innovative approaches to neonatology in our country. He has taught postgraduate and undergraduate students and today leads a team that works with a cause and a vision for the future. On World Health Day, we talk to the neonatologist:

What have you achieved in less than two years at , Mama and I’ Hospital?

Since the opening of the hospital on 1 June 2023, 477 babies have been born with us. We are glad that we are a preferred choice not only for the residents of Pleven region, but also for expectant mothers from neighboring and even more distant regions. Women today are looking for a modern, safe and human environment where they feel supported.

Our neonatology department concentrates high-risk pregnancies because of its high competence. With us, patients bring nothing from home – only faith and a smile. The rest is our care.

What is the most complicated case you remember?

Challenges are a daily occurrence in our specialty. Recently, we were faced with a proven incurable disease – yet we worked with faith and never allowed the thought that we would not succeed. Parents often say, “As long as it’s in your hands, then it’s going to be okay,” which speaks volumes about the trust we have established for parents of children.

The biggest challenge in your job?

Most recently, we had to treat a 650-gram newborn who was in critical condition and had an acute vascular complication – a thromboembolism of an artery in the arm. Specifically, an acute arterial occlusion of an upper extremity.

Such cases are extremely rare worldwide. We immediately organized a multidisciplinary team, including vascular surgeons and specialists from other clinics. Dr. Samardzhiev, head of the vascular surgery department, and specialists from other clinics responded at the minute, and we discussed therapy options.

We had to apply a modified therapeutic approach, without established algorithms, and we succeeded – we saved the child’s arm. For our team, this was a real test and an important success. The graduate students saw a condition that they will likely not see the end of their careers.

Is there any truth in the statement about the increase of children with congenital malformations in Pleven?

Absolutely not. Since the opening of ‘Mama and I‘, the most severe cases from all over Northern Bulgaria and sometimes from other parts of the country have been concentrated here. This is not a sign of a local problem, but rather evidence of confidence in our capacity.

Colleagues know that this is the hospital for Bulgaria’s seriously ill children. They receive precise diagnosis and treatment here. The incredible range of solutions we have enables us to make an etiological and often genetic diagnosis for patients.

Our hospital has an extremely precise genetic laboratory. Medical genetic counseling, cytogenetic analysis, and DNA analysis of thousands of rare diseases and monogenic ones are performed. This is what brings parents to us – the opportunity for clarity and treatment.

What would you wish your colleagues on the occasion of the World Health Day?

I wish all my colleagues the chance to work in hospitals like ‘Heart and Brain’ and ‘Mama and I’ – modern, well equipped, with great respect for the teams and a vision for the future. I believe that more and more Bulgarian cities deserve such hospitals.