Doctors perform rare surgery on 14-month-old
31 July 2014 5:21 AM IST
Zubair was suffering from Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), a heart problem most commonly found in babies soon after birth.
After running from pillar to post, the family arrived at BLK Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi.
‘Zubair’s condition resulted in flooding of lungs which put high pressure on his lungs. Additionally it resulted in recurrence of pneumonia and he did not gain weight. Ideally he should have 11 kg of weight under normal conditions. But his weight was only 7 kg,’ said Dr Vikas Kohli, director at hospital’s child heart institute.
PDA is present in all of us. It’s a bypass for the lungs and is supposed to close within first few days after birth. But in Zubair’s case it was not closed, Kohli informed. ‘The challenge was to close the opening without surgery considering his age and weight. The procedure was carried out with general anesthesia so that the patient can get up immediately and eat something after the treatment,’ he said. He also added that the treatment process is similar to that of angioplasty. ‘It was done through the groin vein.
The process is similar to an angioplasty. From the groin the wire was passed into the heart and PDA was crossed. After this, a catheter (a plastic tube like the ball pen refill but much longer) was passed over the wire to close the opening, said Kohli. The disease is more common in premature infants. On an average, PDA occurs in 8 out of every 1,000 premature babies, compared with 2 out of every 1,000 mature babies.
After running from pillar to post, the family arrived at BLK Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi.
‘Zubair’s condition resulted in flooding of lungs which put high pressure on his lungs. Additionally it resulted in recurrence of pneumonia and he did not gain weight. Ideally he should have 11 kg of weight under normal conditions. But his weight was only 7 kg,’ said Dr Vikas Kohli, director at hospital’s child heart institute.
PDA is present in all of us. It’s a bypass for the lungs and is supposed to close within first few days after birth. But in Zubair’s case it was not closed, Kohli informed. ‘The challenge was to close the opening without surgery considering his age and weight. The procedure was carried out with general anesthesia so that the patient can get up immediately and eat something after the treatment,’ he said. He also added that the treatment process is similar to that of angioplasty. ‘It was done through the groin vein.
The process is similar to an angioplasty. From the groin the wire was passed into the heart and PDA was crossed. After this, a catheter (a plastic tube like the ball pen refill but much longer) was passed over the wire to close the opening, said Kohli. The disease is more common in premature infants. On an average, PDA occurs in 8 out of every 1,000 premature babies, compared with 2 out of every 1,000 mature babies.
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