Pune: An arterial switch surgery was successfully conducted on a month-old baby at Pune’s Jupiter Hospital. The patient was in critical condition when his family members brought him to the hospital.
A 28-day-old boy was diagnosed with transposition of great arteries. He had to undergo a complex neonatal cardiac surgery of arterial switch. He was admitted under Dr Abhijeet Naik, Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Jupiter Hospital.
With the number of COVID-19 patients increasing every day, the parents were also scared about the baby getting exposed or infected.
“Such a defect happens to 1 in 3,300 newborn infants. In the western world, there is three per cent mortality, while developing world stands at 15 per cent. It was a difficult decision for us to carry out the operation.” said Dr Naik.
He revealed that the first challenge they faced was that the baby was beyond four weeks of age. It’s difficult for the regressed left ventricle to support the systemic circulation.
“It involves transferring very tiny millimetre-sized coronary arteries onto the new aortic root. We had to successfully complete the surgery without the ECMO machine. The surgical and ICU team had to take precautions of the highest order to prevent infection. In the situation of lockdown, the parents were also told to maintain social distancing from the baby,” said Naik.
“To see all the associated personnel committed and working for saving a tiny baby’s life in extreme conditions of risk and difficulty was a heart-warming situation. I would specially thank all the OT staff and nurses in the paediatric cardiac ICU, along with the team of intensivists, led by Dr Srinivas Tambe, Paediatrician who tirelessly worked for the duration of the baby’s stay,” Naik added.
“Babies with this premature level are very small and very fragile,” said Dr Shrinivas Tambe, Pediatrician, Jupiter Hospital, Pune.
“At the time of admission, the baby came to us in a very blue condition, with oxygen saturation measuring between 35-40 per cent. Normal saturation is more than 95 per cent. The baby was feeling very breathless and this condition was a true paediatric cardiac emergency. After 7-8 hours the surgery was successful, and the baby was shifted to PICU however, the next 72 hours were the most critical for the baby, “Tambe stated.
“Post-surgery, the baby was in PICU for nine days, and it was an emotionally very draining moment for the parents, but the ICU and the paediatric cardiology team kept the parents well informed about the baby’s condition and status.
“The baby boy went home after such a critical surgery on the eighth postoperative day which was a measure of the quality of surgery and the ICU care,” said Dr Rahul Saraf, Consultant-Paediatric Cardiologist, Jupiter Hospital, Pune.
The child’s father said, “It was an immensely distressing experience, having to witness our newborn child go through so much trauma.”
“The happiness of his birth was overshadowed by his ailment. We are grateful to the doctors, due to tireless efforts of whom, we have our son back with us,” he added.
