Udaipur: Interventional Cardiologist team at Geetanjali Medical College & Hospital including Dr Kapil Bhargava, Dr. Ramesh Patel, Dr. Danny Kumar & Dr. Shalabh Agarwal successfully performed a complex and complicated procedure called as “PDA Stenting” on 15 days old Baby of Ramijahan hailing from Udaipur who was suffering from Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia. It has been claimed as the first hospital in all of Rajasthan to have successfully performed such a complicated procedure.
Ramijaha had delivered her baby in a nearby hospital where in the baby started turning blue. Upon suspicion of heart defect in her baby she was rushed to Geetanjali Hospital for further evaluations of X-Ray & Echocardiography to detect heart problems in her child. The report confirmed a cardiac defect called “Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia” wherein the structures of the left side of the heart were under-developed. There was a hole in heart & one of the heart valves was not developed.
Dr Ramesh Patel, the Interventional Cardiologist said, “It was noticed that due to a major cardiac heart defect, the baby required immediate medical assistance. The baby would also need immediate surgery to prevent damage to all other organs. Both the parents were counseled about the child’s condition and the need of two or more surgeries later in life to separate the blue and pink blood circulations. A medication drip was started to prevent closure of one of the arteries (PDA) responsible for keeping the baby alive. After a detailed evaluation and discussion by the entire team and in view of concerns of low birth weight, it was decided to perform a complex procedure on the new born called as “PDA Stenting.” It was baby’s low birth weight & such critical condition that she was not taken for surgery otherwise she couldn’t have survived.”
Dr Patel futher added “The procedure was performed in the Cath-lab. A balloon procedure was performed to enlarge the hole in the partition between two upper chambers of the heart. Next, the chest wall was opened, and bands were placed on both the lung arteries to restrict the amount of blood flowing into the lungs. After that, a tube was placed in the main lung artery through which a metallic stent was passed and inflated in the artery (PDA) connecting the two circulations. The chest wall was kept open in view of the high-risk nature of the surgery with the plan to close it once the baby was stable. The baby made remarkable recovery and eventually was shifted to her mother’s bed side. Soon she will be taken up for surgery for complete
It is probably the first hospital in Rajasthan to have successfully performed such a complicated procedure. What is unique in this case is that the child was managed where in survival rate is less than 0.1% & the defect is seen in anyone out of 3-4 lakhs patients. This makes GMCH an ideal healthcare setup for diagnosing and managing such complex cardiac defects. The baby girl was treated free under the flagship scheme of Rajasthan Government’s Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana.
