A SURGICAL procedure known as cardiac intervention were performed on two babies at the Military Hospital (Cardio Thoracic Centre) here. The centre also performed a procedure called ‘ductal stenting’ in babies for the first time, doctors said.

A two–day old baby, who was born at the Military Hospital in Deolali was brought to Pune’s Military Hospital with a rare heart disease half of the heart was not formed. Col Prab hat Kumar, head of the paediatric cardiology at MHCTC conducted a major heart surgery to save the infant, said a press note from the Military Hospital.

Cardiologist Col Rajat Datta and anaesthesiologist Lt Col Nair assisted Kumar, who initially put the baby on prostaglandin infusion an injection which can prevent the closure of PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) for some time.

This was crucial for the baby’s survival. The surgery was conducted where a synthetic tube (BT shunt) was put between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Kumar performed the difficult intervention in the cath lab where a 20 mm long and a 2.75 diametre metallic tube (stent) was deployed in the PDA to keep the flow intact, the note said.

In another case, a male baby delivered by C–section at Command Hospital was diagnosed with ‘hypoplastic left heart’ syndrome.

Survival in such babies is impossible unless the PDA is kept patent and some form of palliative surgery is done soon after delivery.

The patient also underwent PDA stenting at the MH–CTC and both the babies were on ventilator support for the initial 24 hours and then showed signs of recovery.

Brig V Ravishankar, officiating commandant of the MH–CTC, said such procedures can only be performed at a specialised heart centre. MH–CTC provides the facility of non–surgical and surgical management of all cardiac diseases in children for the entire armed forces.

An expert surgical team operates on all types of congenital heart diseases, he added.

Indian Express
28 March 2010