15 day old baby with congenital heart disease treated successfully

The baby originally from Mauritius was diagnosed with Valvular pulmonary atresia

Navi Mumbai, 28^th September 2021: A 15 day old, Baby Dianna from Mauritius successfully underwent a complex heart procedure at Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai. Baby Dianna was born on 28th July 2021 in Mauritius and was diagnosed with a severe congenital heart disease.The baby was born with a cyanosis (Bluish or greyish colour of the skin, nails, lips or around the eyes) and was diagnosed with valvular pulmonary atresia, a defect of the heart found at birth where the valve that controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs doesn't open at all.  She was surviving on the patent ductus arteriosus & was managed in a NICU (Neonatal intensive care unit)

With the help of the government she was brought to Mumbai on 12th August 2021, with the support of a local Doctor. Immediately, Baby Dianna, was stabilized and in less than 24 hours she was taken to Cath lab for a cardiac procedure.  Before starting the procedure, Baby Dianna developed a severe Cardiac arrest, which needed immediate shock treatment (4 to 6 shocks were delivered) with multiple emergency cardiac medicines. In the last 16 months, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai has treated over 60 children from Mauritius.

The lead doctor of this case, Dr Bhushan Chavan, Consultant, Interventional Paediatric Cardiology, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai, explains, “As her condition deteriorated, she was referred for further clinical management by a flight to Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, by the Mauritius government. The condition of the Baby Dianna was grim, with no response to these treatments, so temporary pacemaker was inserted as a last resort and kept  the heart beating , at the rate of 150/min. CPR was still continued and the procedure was abandoned.”

Post the shock treatment, in the next couple of minutes, Baby regained its own rhythm and as a result, the pacemaker was removed. Baby Dianna was shifted to NICU for stabilization. In the next 10 days, the Baby had overcome all the neonatal problems (Acute kidney failure) and successfully extubated. She was also coming back to normal neurological functioning, assessed by a paediatric neurologist which was another miracle, despite having a long duration of CPR and cardiac arrest.

Once Baby Dianna was stabilised, Dr Bhushan Chavan went ahead with the interventional procedure, perforation and balloon pulmonary valvotomy (widening of a narrowed pulmonary valve by using a balloon catheter inside the valve) was performed to open up the defective pulmonary valve that had caused the cardiac arrest in the first place.  

Mr. Santosh Marathe, COO & Unit Head, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said, “Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common congenital disorder in new-borns and affects around 8 in every 1000 babies. The successful treatment of baby Dianna is a proud moment for our institution. Our team of world class experts have made sure Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai is recognised as one of the most advanced centres in Western India for paediatric cardiac care.  The rising number of heart diseases in India has become a major concern now and with the growing pandemic there is even bigger threat to people who are at risk of cardio vascular diseases.”

The case highlights how complex a critical congenital heart problem can be, if not treated on time. The excellence and the dedication of the team of doctors at Apollo Hospitals is a perfect example to this, which gave a new lease of life for the baby and the entire family.