A team of doctors at Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad have performed a complex and rare cardiac surgery on a prematurely born tiny baby suffering from Ebstein’s anomaly.

According to Dr. Girish Warrier, a senior paediatric cardiac surgeon, Ebstein’s anomaly is a critical congenital heart ailment where the right side heart valve (Tricuspid valve) called Ebstein’s anomaly is abnormal and leaks profusely. In this case the baby was also suffering with atresia of pulmonary valve, which meant that no blood flow was going to his lung from the heart for oxygenation.

Upon detecting this life threatening abnormality while the baby was still in the womb, the doctors at Apollo Hospitals comprising of paediatric cardiologist, obstetrician, neonatologist and paediatric cardiac surgeon took utmost care to meet any contingency during the birth of the baby considering his precarious medical condition.

The baby being born prematurely at 34 weeks of gestation coupled with growth retardation presented a challenge to the team. “Cardiac surgery in such tiny children requires an advanced infrastructure and a highly trained staff who form the backbone of any successful team. Additional challenges to his surgery were nutrition and infection control, but he is now recovering well and is planned for discharge in a couple of days from the hospital. This type of surgery is a high-risk surgery which has not been performed till date in India and Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad is proud to be a pioneer in this field,” commented Dr Girish.

The doctor further explained that a natural connection between his aorta and the artery to the lungs called ductus arteriosus was closing. Hence this connection had to be kept open using a special medicine for taking blood to the lungs for oxygenation. “The closure of the artery would have snuffed life out of the baby and therefore it was imperative that cardiac surgery to restore blood flow to lungs”, explains Dr Girish Warrier, senior paediatric cardiac surgeon, who led the team in performing the surgery.

The baby was placed on cardiopulmonary bypass. Being only 1.2 Kg at birth and 11 days at the time of surgery, specially designed circuitry had to be used to place the child on bypass. The leaking tricuspid valve was closed using a patch. The child tolerated the procedure well and was taken off the bypass machine and then shifted to the intensive care unit.