Newborn with cardiac defect undergoes 6-hr surgery
MUMBAI: Pari Patel, who was born with growth and cardiac anomalies, has become one of the youngest patients in Mumbai to undergo a six-hour-long open heart surgery.
Pari was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (TGA), a congenital cardiac defect that swaps arteries transferring oxygen-less (bad) blood and oxygen-rich (good) blood between the heart and lungs.
The condition results in an acute shortage of good blood being supplied to other body parts and limits the performance of internal organs, causing death.
Her father Suresh, 34, said Pari was born prematurely in the 32nd week of gestation and weighed just 1.5kg — almost half of a fullterm healthy newborn.
Owing to her medical complications, the newborn was kept on a ventilator for 48 hours after birth. The Patels live in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
“We lost our first child to similar anomalies, which were detected two years after birth. But in Pari’s case, the doctors performed an echocardiogram [often referred to as cardiac echo or echo] after her birth and informed us about the medical problems she had,” said Suresh.
Dr Suresh Rao, who heads the paediatric cardiac unit at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, where the surgery was performed on January 27, said Pari also suffered from other cardiac anomalies, which could have proved fatal if left untreated.
“We were informed about the case by a cardiac paediatrician from Ahmedabad. We have performed more than 450 surgeries on babies with similar conditions, but Pari was born preterm with multiple cardiac anomalies and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). This restricts the baby’s growth and its internal organs in the womb, resulting in multiple complications once the baby is born,” said Rao.
Rao’s team performed the surgery to realign the arteries two days after Pari was admitted to the hospital on January 25, after which she was shifted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). She was kept in the NICU for more than 72 hours.
“In such babies, blood doesn’t clot soon and the chest has to be kept open to help the recovery of swollen heart and lungs before closing the surgical incisions. During this period, NICU staff plays a vital role in preventing infection by monitoring the baby round-the-clock,” said Dr Vinay Joshi, senior consultant intensivist of the NICU.
A week after the surgery, Pari gained more than 200grams as the doctors focused on nutritional support by directly introducing carbohydrates and protein into her bloodstream. She is also fed her mother’s milk (around 2ml) every day.
“The baby is recuperating well and we may discharge her once her weight touches 2kg. We need to spread awareness that babies born with such congenital complications can be saved with correct diagnosis and immediate treatment,” said Rao.