The Paediatric Cardiac team at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai have successfully performed a critical two-hour beating heart surgery for Pulmonary Atresia to allow the flow of blood from the baby's heart to lungs, thereby enabling the child to breathe normal.

The life threatening Pulmonary Atresia, a rare cardiac complication in neonates, requires to be addressed in a critical window period of just a few hours of the baby's birth, was accomplished in the state-of-the-art dedicated paediatric cardiac set up of the hospital, announced Wockhardt officials.

Addressing the press conference Dr Suresh Joshi, consultant paediatric cardiac surgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals, who operated upon the baby, explains, "In her case, the pulmonary valve of the heart which controls blood to the lungs was not developed therefore no blood was reaching the lungs." The child, however, was able to stay alive for a few critical hours due to ductus arteriosus - a valve that is meant for its fetal existence only. The valve shuts close naturally after birth and the corrective surgery was required within this window period, he added.

Minutes after her birth out of a planned caesarian section in a private city hospital the baby was shifted to Wockhardt Hospitals at Mulund in a cardiac ambulance. Within four hours of her birth, the baby was wheeled in for a beating heart BT Shunt procedure wherein a synthetic tube (shunt) was inserted to connect a new artery -- the sub clavian artery -- to the pulmonary artery. The sub clavian artery supplies blood to the arms but is now redirected to share supply to the arms and the lungs.

Present at the occasion Dr Snehal Kulkarni, paediatric cardiologist, Wockhardt Hospitals said, "In India, over 2.5 million children are born with heart defects every year and many lives are lost due to lack of proper infrastructure, awareness, and poor planning at time of birth. Some 3 per cent of these cases are of those born with Pulmonary Atresia. Timely detection and early treatment can not only save a child but also help him lead a normal and healthy life."

Dr Swati Garekar, Paediatric Cardiologist at Wockhardt Hospitals also added, "Foetal Echocardiography is used to diagnose heart defects before a child is born. The diagnosis done through foetal echocardiography helps in treating the heart defect in the child at an early stage especially when many times some interventions need to be done immediately after the birth. Since foetal echocardiography was done in this case the defect was identified and immediately after her birth the baby was brought to Wockhardt Hospitals for treatment."

Wockhardt Hospitals has established a full-fledged paediatric cardiac care unit at the facility with state- of- art technology and full time Paediatric Cardiac experts who not only perform critical surgeries but also believes in putting the patients back to their normal life.