India’s lightest infant weighing 600g saved after rare heart procedure at KIMS Gachibowli

Hyderabad: In a medical first for India, doctors at KIMS Hospital in Gachibowli have successfully performed a life-saving heart procedure on a premature baby weighing just 600 grams, making him the lightest infant in the country to undergo the surgery.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus

The non-surgical procedure, which involved using a tiny, advanced device inserted through a leg artery, corrected a serious heart condition known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA).

What is the case about?

The baby, born prematurely at seven months to a couple from Tolichowki, spent 97 days in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

During this time, the infant developed PDA, a common condition in preterm babies where a vital blood vessel connecting two major arteries fails to close after birth. This condition led to excess blood flow to the lungs, putting severe strain on the baby’s heart and requiring ventilator support.

Minimally invasive approach using Piccolo

According to Dr Bhavani Deepti, a Consultant Neonatologist, and Dr Sudeep Varma, a Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist, traditional open-chest surgery to correct PDA was deemed too risky due to the baby’s extremely low weight and fragile state.

Instead, the medical team opted for a minimally invasive procedure using a state-of-the-art device called the ‘Piccolo’.

How was the Piccolo used?

Measuring just 1.2 mm in diameter, the Piccolo device was carefully threaded through an artery in the baby’s leg and used to close the open ductus arteriosus. The procedure was a complete success, closing the vessel and significantly improving the baby’s health.

“This device is a game-changer in treating PDA without the need for surgery,” said Dr Deepti and Dr Varma in a joint statement.

Baby discharged in good health

Following the procedure, the dedicated NICU team, led by Dr Deepti and Dr Sindhu Maru, provided round-the-clock critical care. Once the heart condition was treated, the baby began to thrive, gaining weight and eventually reaching 2.45 kg before being discharged.