10 -Day-Old Farmer’s Baby From Shahapur With A Complex Congenital Cardiac Problem Successfully Treated At Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital For Children

by Priya Jadhav

The baby suffered from a Problem known as TAPVC (total anomalous pulmonary venous connection) a heart disease that affects pulmonary veins along with sepsis

~10 in 1,000 babies have congenital heart defects, and 1 in 1,00,000 have TAPVC~

~ Emergency major open-heart surgery spanning 5hours corrected the baby’s problem and normalized the heart function~

Mumbai: A team headed by Dr Biswa Panda, Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital For Children, successfully carried out high-risk open-heart surgery on a 10-day old baby boy with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC), a congenital cardiac problem that lead to breathing difficulty and low oxygen level. The child needed nearly 25 Days of ventilation, and critical care to get out of life-threatening risk. After, open-heart surgery, the child accepts feeds and is growing well.

Parenthood is bliss. Komal Ughade, a housewife, and her husband Ramchandra Ughade, who is a farmer in Shahapur, Thane district, were happy on the arrival of their twin baby boys, 1 weighing 1 kg and the other 2 kg, on December 1, 2019, by cesarean section. But, their happiness was short-lived after they came to know that one of their baby’s condition is critical. Komal and Ramchandra’s world came crashing down when they saw their newborn in pain. However, the baby was shifted from Shahapur to Wadia Hospital in the NICU with breathing difficult and low oxygen level, wherein he was ventilated and stabilized.

Dr Biswa Panda, Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital For Children,  “On evaluating the baby via echocardiography, it was revealed that the baby had a complex congenital cardiac problem known as Obstructed  TAPVC (total anomalous pulmonary venous connection). 10 in 1,000 babies have congenital heart defects, and 1 in 1, 00,000 have TAPVC. It can be described as a congenital heart disease affecting the pulmonary veins. The pulmonary veins were connected to the right chamber of the heart instead of the left side, and surgery was the only treatment for survival. Also, the baby was extremely weak and septic. The baby displayed symptoms like breathing problems and low oxygen levels, soon after birth. In view of obstruction to this anomalous venous connection, there was no opportunity to wait and treat the baby for sepsis.”

He added, “Emergency major open-heart surgery spanning 5 hours corrected the baby’s anatomical problem and normalized the heart. The pulmonary veins are reconnected to the left atrium and the atrial septal defect is closed. In view of major debility and preoperative sepsis, the child required nearly 25 Days of ventilation and critical care to get out of life-threatening problem. Now, after the open-heart surgery the child is accepting feeds and is growing well. The baby will be discharged soon, and his family has been advised precautions like avoiding taking him to crowded places to keep infection at bay.  

Baby’s father Ramchandra Ughade (28) said, “I am a farmer from Shahapur, and my family belongs to a low socioeconomic status. I have 2 girls and my wife Komal gave birth to the twin boys and one of them required an immediate open-heart surgery, and we couldn’t afford the cost of the surgery. But, Wadia Hospital came forward and offered free treatment to my baby. Today, my family is complete owing to the limitless efforts taken by the hospital. The hospital’s expertise, round the clock services and cutting edge technology helped save my baby’s life.”

“This 1-day-old baby was brought in the emergency at the hospital wherein the baby was given timely treatment. The hospital is well-equipped and caters to the need of each and every patient. The hospital works relentlessly to help patients improve their quality of life with its multidisciplinary approach. The hospital aims to come up with various initiatives, drives, and camps for the betterment of the society,” Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, Chief Executive Officer of the Wadia Hospitals.