Post Covid complications: Nine-year-old returns home with new heart

Mohammed Hanif Shaikh, her father who is a small-time businessman, said that Aiman was admitted to the hospital last year in May for 20 days where she was diagnosed with the end-stage heart disease

Mumbai Aiman Shaikh, the nine-year-old who suffered a heart failure after being infected with Covid, returned to her Mumbra home with a new heart last week.

It was after she was admitted to the hospital that they realised that she had Covid as she tested positive for Covid antibodies (HT Photo)

Doctors at Byculla-based Masina Hospital, who performed the heart transplant procedure, said that Shaikh’s diagnosis of cardiomyopathy – a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body – was induced by Covid.

Mohammed Hanif Shaikh, her father who is a small-time businessman, said that Aiman was admitted to the hospital last year in May for 20 days where she was diagnosed with the end-stage heart disease.

“In May last year, she suddenly had a breathing issue in the middle of the night. Doctors initially treated her for acidity. When her condition did not improve, we took her to a paediatrician where they diagnosed her with cardiomyopathy,” said Hanif.

It was after she was admitted to the hospital that they realised that she had Covid as she tested positive for Covid antibodies. The doctors also informed him that her condition was because of Covd. “She never had symptoms. None of us had Covid during that period at our place. We were shocked. But her reports were positive for Covid and she was in hospital in pain,” said Shaikh.

While Aiman was discharged after 20 days, Shaikh said she needed frequent hospitalisation because of the condition. “It was painful to see her go through the pain. She dropped out of her studies too. As she was put on the organ waiting list, our prayers were heard on May 25. She finally does not need to return to hospital every month to manage her heart and undergo those painful medical procedures. We are thankful to the donor’s family too to save our daughter’s life,” Hanif. The donor’s heart was brought from Vadodara in a chartered flight funded by Dr Zainulabedin Hamdulay’s NGO. Hamdulay is a cardiothoracic surgeon who operated on Shaikh.

“We haven’t seen a Covid-related myocarditis- inflammation of the heart muscle which leads to cardiomyopathy, getting so serious that it requires a heart transplant. She went into heart failure. Therefore, we had to admit her over and over again,” said Dr Hamdulay, adding that this case will be recorded in a medical journal.

Dr Swati Garekar, paediatric cardiologist from Fortis Hospital- Mulund, who first saw Aiman and diagnosed her, said that myocarditis because of viral infections are known. “She was positive for Covid antibodies then and we diagnosed her with dilated cardiomyopathy. There are enough cases of viral infection leading to cardiomyopathy,” she said.

Dr Vishal Pingle, heart & lung transplant surgeon, Masina Hospital, said that lung infection post Covid is very well known. “Clinicians should therefore be aware of Covid-related myocarditis and assess patients for these complications as well so that we can identify and treat heart failure in its early stage,” said Pingle.