Preterm Mauritius boy with heart disease gets new lease of life

NAVI MUMBAI: This Mauritius boy was just 10-day-old when he had to be flown over 4,600 km to India with critical congenital heart disease and acute renal failure

NAVI MUMBAI: This Mauritius boy was just 10-day-old when he had to be flown over 4,600 km to India with critical congenital heart disease and acute renal failure.

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Davishen Rungien, a preterm child, is now on his way to recovery following an emergency life-saving procedure, coarctoplasty, which was undertaken with a novel approach.

The infant, after stabilisation in Mauritius, was referred to Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai for further treatment. Once he reached here, the doctors at the hospitals placed an absorbable stent to widen the narrowed portion of the baby’s aorta. After the successful procedure, the baby was able to breathe without the help of a mechanical ventilator after three days.

Dr Bhushan Chavan, consultant, paediatric cardiology, Apollo Hospitals, explained, “The baby’s condition was critical on arrival. He had a critical congenital heart disease that required urgent intervention. We performed an emergency coarctoplasty, a procedure to widen the narrowed portion of the aorta, using an absorbable stent.”

“The use of an absorbable stent was a novel approach. Given the other problems that the baby had, it was a multi-disciplinary team effort that helped in providing the infant with comprehensive care.”

The baby was born prematurely through normal delivery in a hospital in Mauritius. However, shortly after the birth, the baby was found to be limp, cyanosed and facing difficulty in breathing. The baby was shifted to the neonatal ICU where it was discovered that he was suffering from critical congenital heart disease, acute renal failure and dysmorphic features including bilateral low-set ears, hypertrophied hands and feet and bilateral clubfoot.

After admission at Apollo Hospitals, the baby developed severe respiratory distress and had to be intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. Due to the critical cardiogenic shock with a renal shutdown, emergency cardiac management was initiated with emergency coarctoplasty. A balloon coarctoplasty with stenting using MERIL absorbable stent as a palliative procedure was done in the cath lab. The baby showed clinical improvement and was gradually weaned off the ventilator after three days.

Davishen has been advised to follow up with a cardiologist in Mauritius and Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai after two months. This case highlighted the importance of timely medical intervention and comprehensive care and was a demonstration of the world-class healthcare delivered at Apollo Hospitals.

Girija Rungien, Davishen’s mother, said, “There was no treatment available in Mauritius so we came to Apollo Hospitals. Here, Dr Bhushan Chavan and Dr Omprakash treated Davishen. The services and the staff of the hospital are very good. Doctors here have given me courage and hope. I thank them for it.”

Santosh Marathe, regional CEO, Western region, Apollo Hospitals, said, “We are committed to providing the highest level of care to all our patients, including the youngest and most vulnerable ones. It is a matter of pride that families from as far away as Mauritius trust us to treat their loved ones and the successful management of this critical case is a testament to our team’s expertise and dedication to delivering the best possible outcomes.”

“We are glad that our highly skilled doctors, nurses and support staff were able to ensure the health and well-being of the newborn,” he added.