Infant Undergoes Life-Saving Complex Heart Surgery at Manipal Hospital
A 7-day-old infant, name undisclosed for privacy reasons, was born with a very serious cardiac issue requiring immediate surgery for survival. The infant's mother was herself a professional in the medical field who knew very well the inherent risks in performing cardiac surgery on a newborn.
The mother had undergone cesarean section to give birth to what appeared to be a normal, thriving infant, but four days later, she noticed that Baby had difficulty breathing. She was taken to –one of the Manipal Hospitals, and it made it into the neonatal intensive care unit. The mother knew that children with this anomaly are born with the aorta and pulmonary arteries coming out of the wrong place. Her baby was also diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect, which literally means a hole between the ventricles. The condition causes oxygenated anti-oxygenated blood to mix, threatening life.
The infant was also diagnosed with a coarctation of the aorta, meaning a compression of the aorta, the main blood vessel that provides blood flow to the torso that put severe constriction on the vessel, increased pressure on the heart, and interfered with blood flow to the lower body.
"The child was referred to me at the Manipal Heart Institute Hospital in Bangalore for potential surgical correction on the seventh day of her life,” states Dr. Devananda, a specialist in infant cardiovascular surgery at Manipal Hospital. “Her condition occurs in fewer than one percent of babies with congenital heart defects in the world, in a rare condition called Taussig-Bing anomaly and coarctation of the aorta."
Dr.Devananda Saves Lives
Dr. Devananda performed surgery on the infant, repairing the obstruction to the aorta, relocating the main arteries back to their proper ventricles, and repairing the hole in the baby's heart. Thankfully, post-surgical echocardiograms have shown good results and the infant was discharged from the hospital 10 days later after a smooth recovery.
"We're very happy with the positive results of this procedure,” says Dr. Devananda. “One percent of all children born have one type or another of heart issues, and some are simple while others are complex. Timely diagnosis and timely and proper intervention enables most of these children to lead perfectly normal lives."
The mother of the seven-day-old infant who underwent the surgical procedure is also relieved that things turned out so well. Because of her medical background, she knows that most doctors are hesitant to even consider performing surgery on neonates, and her daughter’s case was rather complex. To say she was relieved, grateful, and ecstatic regarding the results of the procedure would be an understatement.
Manipal Hospital has - one of the best neonatal heart care facilities throughout Asia. Dr. Devananda has successfully performed surgery on over 7,000 successful cases throughout India. He encourages initiatives that promote awareness of the issues of congenital heart disease not only to regional Indians and Asian populations, but also around the world. For more information about Dr. Devananda and the Manipal Hospital and Heart Institute, visit PlacidWay.com.
