Coimbatore : A city -multi-specialty hospital successfully cured a preterm female baby of a major critical congenital heart disease
called Coarctation of Aorta, particularly during the pandemic period.

The baby, one of the twins, born at 31 week with 1.08 kg weight, was admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH) and had initial breathing difficulties which settled down by 5th day.

The baby had low BP on legs and ECHO test showed a major critical congenital heart disease called Coarctation of Aorta, a condition in which Aorta, the major blood vessel which supplies arterial blood was very narrow and the blood supply to the kidney, intestines and the legs were severely impaired, a Hospital release said today.

The findings confirmed in CT angiogram which showed that the narrowest portion of aorta was only 1 mm instead of being at least 6 to 8 mm.

Though coarctation repair is done in children with three kg, and doing a major cardiac surgery on this baby, was a huge challenge and was very risky.

But there was no option other than surgery because this is an emergency life threatening condition and after explaining high risk to
parents, Dr. Prashanth Vaijyanath, Chief Cardiothoracic surgeon successfully performed the repair of coarctation of Aorta.

Baby slowly improved after surgery and blood flow to the legs, kidneys and intestine improved which was confirmed with ECHO and was taken off from ventilator, given breast milk and successfully discharged at 5 weeks of age
and with a weight of 1. 350kg.

Both the twin babies were healthy now and the parents were very happy with the outcome. Though the baby was small (1 kg) and the cardiac condition was critical and difficult to treat, doctors at KMCH were able to successfully treat, manage and save the baby, which is a major milestone in this region.

Hospital chairman, Dr Nalla G Palaniswami congratulated the unit and Dr Prashant and others involved in the success of the surgery.