48-day-old infant with holes in heart undergoes surgery at Hyd hospital

Hyderabad: Specialists at Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (AIMSR), Hyderabad, led by Dr. Sunil Swain, chief paediatric cardiovascular thoracic surgeon, performed a complex paediatric heart surgery on a 48-day-old male child who was diagnosed with complex and multiple congenital heart defects.

The baby had numerous congenital heart anomalies, including a single coronary artery in which the two great arteries of the heart arise from opposite sides. It is a rare subset of heart defects, present in one in 3,500 live births. If treated early, these babies lead a normal life. The team of specialists performed an arterial switch along with a congenital open-heart surgery. This complex surgery was performed for the first time by a medical college in the combined Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The baby was brought to the hospital's emergency ward in a highly critical state of progressively reducing arterial oxygen saturation and intense breathing. The mother, while breastfeeding the baby when he was just 15 days old, observed profuse sweating, heavy breathing, and heart palpitations. The local paediatrician in Sadashivpet referred the baby to a children's hospital which identified two holes in the heart through a 2D echo and advised the parents to bring him back after three months.

Even after two weeks, the symptoms subsisted with the newborn having episodes of vomiting and not feeding. The worried parents took him to another hospital in Sangareddy, but his condition deteriorated; his lips and nails turned blue in the ICU within a couple of days. He was then shifted to a children's hospital in Hyderabad and then brought to AIMSR. After performing the complex arterial switch and closure of heart holes, the baby was shifted to ICU, weaned off the ventilator after 12 hours, and discharged on the 7th day.

Dr. Sunil Swain was supported by Dr. Meena, chief critical care specialist; Dr. Amol, chief paediatric cardiologist, and nursing staff in performing this surgery successfully.