On Monday, Da Nang’s Hoan My Hospital said that its surgeons had successfully performed keyhole surgery to close ventricular septal defects (VSD) on a 3-year-old child from Quang Binh Province and a 2-year-old from Nghe An Province.

Both children are now gradually recovering after their operations, and they are expected to be released from the hospital soon.

VSD, also called a hole in the heart, is a common heart defect present at birth (congenital).  VSD accounts for up to 30% of all congenital heart complaints, and 70% are cases of perimembranous VSD.

Thanks to the keyhole technique, patients have fewer complications and better recovery rates after surgery as compared with the older method of patching the hole between the ventricles.