The child who had not even opened his eyes properly after birth, his mother had not even seen him to her heart’s content and doctors from the pediatric cardiology and anesthesia team were standing around him. Without wasting even a single minute, that little girl was going to undergo surgery. This moment was as long and heavy as any year for that mother, but as soon as the 40-minute-old baby was operated upon and handed over to the mother, it seemed as if her penance was completed and she was saying again and again with folded hands, ‘My child’s survival is no less than a miracle. I and my family will always be grateful to these doctors. This scene is from Fortis Escorts Okhla, where there was a celebratory atmosphere after this surgery.

In fact, for the first time in the hospital, heart surgery was performed on the youngest, a 40-minute-old child. This surgery was also difficult because the child was suffering from two heart problems that first of all he had to undergo caesarean section at 31 weeks of birth, immediately after that, his heart surgery was done through a minimally invasive procedure in the golden hour.

Let us tell you that the heart of this little child was surrounded by liquid substance and was hardly able to function. This information was received even before birth because after ultrasound examination of the fetus, another hospital in the city had told them that one of the heart valves of this unborn baby was dangerously narrow. Apart from this, during examination his heart muscles were also found to be very weak. There was also accumulation of fluid around the heart of the fetus and all these conditions were quite serious challenges. In such a situation, the pregnant woman was brought to Fortis Okhla where Pediatric Cardiology Dr. Neeraj Awasthi and the multidisciplinary team of the hospital took up this challenge and prepared a treatment plan.

After this, in the 31st week of pregnancy, the baby was born through C-section in another hospital and then he was brought to Fortis. Here a team of Obstetrician, Pediatric Cardiologist, Neonatologist, Anesthetist, nurses, technicians as well as ambulance staff were ready. Each one was ready to play his part with complete accuracy.

treated with this procedure
The condition of this child’s blood vessels was diagnosed with the help of advanced ultrasound-guided vascular access and then the child was treated with the procedure of balloon aortic valvulotomy. This surgery was successful and subsequent echocardiography confirmed that the baby’s aortic valve had now opened properly and heart function was also restored. After this, this premature newborn was shifted to the neonatal nursery, where full attention was paid to his weight gain and recovery.

Regarding this, Dr. Neeraj Awasthi said, ‘This was the most challenging fetal cardiac case we have come across so far, in which the heart valve was very narrow, the heart muscles were quite damaged, and there was also fluid overload. However, due to better planning, prompt action and perfect multi-disciplinary coordination, the baby was successfully treated within the golden hour and succeeded in restoring the heart function of the newborn.

What did the child’s mother say?
After this surgery, the newborn’s mother said, ‘Those weeks were very difficult for our family. We were shocked to hear about the condition of our unborn baby and spent every next day with fear and uncertainty but the doctors at Fortis Escorts Okhla gave us hope at a time when we had no ray of hope. Seeing our baby go through such a delicate process just minutes after birth and its survival is no less than a miracle for us. We will always be grateful to the entire medical team of Fortis Escorts Okhla, who have given the invaluable gift of life to our child.