Media release
Mangaluru, Aug 1: A J Hospital in city has performed a rare five chamber heart surgery on two year old girl. Pavana (name changed) from Ankola was a little two year old child who was having breathing difficulty while playing.
She had frequent admissions to the hospital for respiratory infections. Unlike other children of her age, she was in the hospital for long durations. On taking her to A J Hospital, she was evaluated with a heart scan (Echo) by Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist Dr Prem Alva and diagnosed to have a very rare condition called cortriatriatum. This is a heart defect where there is an extra chamber and two large holes in the heart.
Pavana was taken up for open heart surgery by Dr Gaurav Shetty, Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon. The child was successfully operated upon and discharged from the hospital within a week. Dr Gururaj Tantry, Chief Cardiac Anaesthetist played a crucial role in the anaesthesia and ICU management of this little girl.
She is now doing well and playing with her friends at home. The surgery was done free of cost under the scheme.
The 'Children’s Heart Centre' at A J Hospital & Research Centre is a world-class facility specializing in providing comprehensive care for neonates, infants and children with all varieties of heart ailments and adults with simple and complex congenital heart defects.
The centre encompasses the specialties of Paediatric Cardiology, Paediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthesia, Paediatric Cardiac Intensive care areas, supported by specially trained Paediatric Perfusionists, Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, social workers and counsellors.
The department is equipped with the latest equipment capable of performing all forms of echocardiography including 3D evaluation and transesophageal echocardiography in babies. Other non-invasive methods of evaluation such as CT/MRI are also available in-house. In addition, facilities for prenatal detection (Fetal echocardiography) of congenital heart defects are available along with management of high risk pregnancies.