Mumbai: Life-Saving Heart Procedure Performed on Five-Day-Old Baby

Doctors at Narayana Health SRCC Children’s Hospital successfully carried out a complex heart procedure on a five-day-old newborn, saving the infant’s life. The baby was suffering from a serious congenital heart condition that limited the flow of blood to the lungs, causing dangerously low oxygen levels and bluish discoloration of the skin. The child was first examined by a local paediatrician in a town in Maharashtra, who suspected a critical heart defect and immediately referred the newborn to Mumbai for specialized treatment.

During the long ambulance journey to the hospital, doctors administered Prostaglandin E1, a drug that helps keep a vital blood vessel open in babies with certain heart defects. After further tests, specialists diagnosed the infant with pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect (VSD), and a narrow Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), conditions that severely restrict blood flow to the lungs.

To stabilise the baby, the medical team performed a PDA stenting procedure in the cardiac catheterisation lab. In this minimally invasive procedure, doctors inserted a tiny stent into the duct to keep it open, allowing blood to reach the lungs and improving oxygen supply in the body. The operation lasted about an hour and successfully increased the baby’s oxygen levels.

The newborn recovered well after the procedure and was discharged from the hospital within five days. Doctors said the child will require a corrective heart surgery when the baby is around six to eight months old. According to the medical team, quick diagnosis, timely referral, and prompt treatment played a crucial role in saving the infant’s life.