1-month-old baby from Africa suffering from Complex Congenital Heart Disease gets a new lease of life at Paras Health, Gurugram

by Priya Jadhav

Gurugram, 12^th August 2023: Recently, doctors at Paras Health, Gurugram, successfully saved the life of a one-month-old baby from Kenya who was suffering from very complex congenital heart defect. The baby was brought to the hospital with breathing difficulty and inability to take adequate feeds and records from home country in which child diagnosed with a hole in his heart and other complexities of heart structure. The parents had lost all hope because no other hospital in Africa was willing to operate on the baby because of the complexity of the case and challenge of operating on 3kg baby with complex heart defect. However, with further recommendations from doctors in Kenya, the couple, with their baby finally came to Paras Health, Gurugram where baby was Evaluated by Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiac surgery team experts who diagnosed the patient's underlying condition with their exceptional expertise and specialization in the field.

On evaluation, it was diagnosed that baby was suffering from Complex Congenital Heart defect where both great vessels Aorta and Pulmonary Artery was arising abnormally from right ventricle [Double outlet right ventricle defect (DORV) ] with a large ventricular septal defect (hole in the heart), Accessory mitral valve tissue was also present causing severe leakage from Mitral valve (severe MR) and  the main vessel which carries blood to whole body was small ( Hypoplastic Aortic Arch) causing unrestricted pulmonary blood flow . Mostly these complex cases require a Multistage surgery 2 to 3 surgeries to rectify these defects over a period of 2 to 3 years.  Looking at the condition of the baby, Dr. Mahesh, Chief and HOD - Paediatric & Adult Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Dr. Shyamveer Singh, Consultant - Pediatric Heart Surgery, and Dr. Deepak, Senior Consultant - Pediatric Cardiology at Paras Health, along with their team, had detailed surgical meet to look for feasibility of giving the child single stage complete repair of this complex heart defect. As per the team it was challenging case but with teams’ experience and expertise it was decided to do single stage complete repair.

Commenting on the complexity of the case, Dr. Mahesh Wadhwani, Chief and HOD - Paediatric & Adult Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Paras Health, said, "This was a complex case requiring immediate medical intervention. The baby arrived at the hospital with extremely complex life-threatening heart defect. The main challenge was not only to save his life but also to ensure the baby remained healthy. The unique aspect of the case was the surgery performed i.e., Routing the vessels to correct chambers , closure of hole in heart, repairing the Mitral valve and Aortic Arch Augmentation; a complex cardiac surgery. Unlike the usual approach where the procedure is carried out in two stages, i.e., arch repair with PA band followed by intracardiac repair as second stage, in this instance, considering the case's complexity and teams experience, both procedures were carried out simultaneously. The surgery was done successfully, and as expected baby had morbid post operation stay in ICU where baby was well managed, baby was discharged within 09 days, and now leads a thriving, healthy life. Additionally, the team's dedication and expertise, combined with the hospital's cutting-edge technology, allowed us to provide the best possible care to the young patient."

Adding to the patient’s condition, Dr. Deepak Thakur, Senior Consultant - Paediatric Cardiology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram, said, "The baby was suffering from an exceptionally rare combination of heart defects. Besides the intricate surgery, managing small baby 3kg with complex cardiac surgery in the ICU is typically quite demanding and has equally tough challenges as is the surgery. In this case, the child spent 7 days in the ICU and was in critical condition. However, with proper preoperative planning and continuous monitoring and prompt intervention on complications post surgery the baby was efficiently treated and was saved.”

When treating a heart defect in a child our team policy and approach is to provide single stage cure, a sustainable result to lead healthy heart for future life and meticulous planning for each case to make hospital and ICU stay minimum for these babies. Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects a considerable number of children globally and in India. It's the most common type of birth defect, accounting for about 8 to 10 babies out of 1000 live births in our country.

About Paras Health: Managed by a team of experienced doctors and dedicated to change the face of healthcare in India, the flagship hospital of Paras Health is on a mission to make the best medical infrastructure and expertise accessible and affordable. Besides full-time specialists in Neurology, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic vascular surgery (CTVS), Cancer Care, Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement, Nephrology & Kidney Transplant, Urology, Gynaecology & Obstetrics, Pulmonology, the hospital has 2 fully equipped Cardiac Cath Labs, state-of-the-art Cancer centre, Dialysis and Endoscopy suites, and a comprehensive blood bank. 

Paras Health, Gurugram is 250 bedded flagship hospital of Paras Healthcare, spread across 3,50,000 square feet and 6 floors. The hospital has 9 centers of excellence and 55 super specialties. There are 75 critical care beds, 10 modular operation theatres, and 24-hour emergency services.