Day-old baby undergoes life-saving heart surgery at Delhi hospital

Day-old baby undergoes life-saving heart surgery at Delhi hospital

New Delhi, A day-old pre-term newborn battling a rare and life-threatening heart defect was given a new lease of life after undergoing a complex open-heart surgery at a Delhi hospital, doctors said.

Day-old baby undergoes life-saving heart surgery at Delhi hospital

According to a statement by Fortis Escorts, Okhla, the infant was diagnosed with infradiaphragmatic total anomalous pulmonary venous connection , a rare congenital condition in which oxygen-rich blood from the lungs fails to return to the heart normally, leading to severe respiratory distress soon after birth.

"This was a highly critical cardiac emergency where every minute mattered. Such conditions can be rapidly fatal if not treated immediately, but with timely surgery, these babies can go on to lead healthy lives," said Dr. KS Iyer, Chairman and Head of Paediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at the hospital.

The condition, which affects about one in 10,000 live births, caused the newborn's lungs to become congested and prevented adequate oxygen supply to the body, making urgent surgical intervention critical, the hospital said.

The baby, born to a 33-year-old first-time mother, had been diagnosed with the anomaly during a routine antenatal ultrasound and later confirmed through a fetal echocardiogram. The parents, both doctors from Patna, planned the delivery near the treatment facility to ensure immediate medical care after birth, it said.

The surgery was done on April 14 and the baby was born on April 13, they said, adding that soon after delivery, the newborn developed severe breathing difficulties and required respiratory support before being shifted to the intensive care unit. Then further evaluation reconfirmed the diagnosis, according to the hospital.

Doctors said the infant underwent an emergency open-heart surgery lasting nearly four hours, during which oxygenated blood flow was rerouted to the left side of the heart, the only definitive treatment for the condition.

Following the procedure, the baby showed steady recovery, was gradually stabilised, and was discharged after 11 days in a stable condition, the hospital added.

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