Hole inside of heart of a 3 and half years child closed without surgery

Done first time in Punjab at SPS Apollo Hospitals Ludhiana

Ludhiana, July 2, 2014: Dr.Anurakti Dev Singla, Senior Consultant, Department of Pediatric Cardiology at SPS Apollo Hospitals, Ludhiana, recently closed a perimembranous ventricular septal defect in a child with a device. Just three and a half years old patient Harshpreet from Dasua had hole in the heart from birth which was responsible for poor growth and recurrent respiratory infection in the child. The hole was closed by fitting a button like device in the hole without even opening the heart or chest. The patient was conscious 1-2 hours after procedure and was discharged after keeping for a short observation of 2 days. He is doing fine without any problems.

According to Dr.Anurakti Dev Singla, “Heart diseases in children can be present since birth (congenital) or could develop later in childhood (acquired). According to estimated statistics every 100th baby born in the world has a congenital heart disease of which one- third have critical heart disease and one- fifth die during infancy. She added that the lack of proper diagnostic services during fetal life or after birth leads to underdetection and underreporting. Moreover, the centres offering appropriate treatment facilities are scarce and tend to be concentrated in metropolitan cities which is out of reach for people of many states, including Punjab. Congenital heart diseases form a major chunk of undetected and untreated cause of neonatal and infant mortality in India.”

As one of the hospital to offer the services of a qualified pediatric cardiologist, SPS Apollo Hospitals continues to deliver on its promise to offer super specialized and advanced pediatric care services to the people of Punjab. Dr. Anurakti is amongst the very few qualified pediatric cardiologists in India and one of the first in this part of the country. She has been treating heart diseases in children for many years and was previously associated with Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad.

Dr. Anurakti Dev Singla further added, “Though some conditions require open heart surgery, there are many which can be tackled without surgery. This non surgical intervention requires introduction of small and thin catheters and wires inside the heart by a small puncture in the groin (similar to taking injections) through which devices, balloons or stents can be inserted. There is speedy recovery, no scar on the chest, very minimal pain and very less duration of hospital stay”.

The pediatric cardiac services at SPS Apollo Hospitals include Pediatric and Fetal echocardiography, Electrocardiography, Holter Monitoring, Cardiac Catheterization and Angiography, Device Closure for Holes, Ballooning and/ or stenting for Obstructions, Open Heart Surgery for Repair or Palliation of Heart Disease including Complex Diseases and Valve Surgeries. Dr. Anurakti has performed a wide array of Pediatric Cardiac Interventions like Balloon Atrial Septostomy; Device closure of ASD, VSD, PDA; Balloon dilatation of stenotic pulmonary and aortic valves; Coarctation angioplasty; Coil embolization; PDA stenting and many more complex procedures.

At present on the occasion were Dr. K C Mukherjee, Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. Anupam Shrivastav, Head of Cardiac Anaesthesia, Dr. Vikas Bansal, Pediatric Intensivist. A multifaceted team is required for effective pediatric cardiology services and this dedicated team of specialists in the fields of pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery, cardiac anaesthesia and pediatric intensive care is a key attribute of the state-of-the-art multispeciality care at SPS Apollo Hospital.

SPS Apollo Hospitals will continue to take a series of initiatives aimed at improving the face of congenital and acquired pediatric heart disease in Punjab alongwith spreading public awareness.