Treatment Success: High-risk Balloon Aortic Valvotomy on Newborn Baby At Wadia Hospital
Mumbai: A high-risk balloon aortic valvotomy was performed successfully on a newborn baby boy from Ahmednagar. A team of doctors at Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children treated this newborn with blocked valve, 15 per cent heart pumping rate, breathing problem, and murmuring of heart.
“The baby came in an emergency and his health worsened. The cardiac team including the paediatric cardiac anesthetist, interventional cardiologist, nursing, and the technical team took precautions by wearing four layers of covering (including lead aprons and PPE kit) in view of baby’s unknown Covid-19 status. Bedside echocardiography was performed which confirmed severely obstructed aortic valve and heart pump failure. The baby was immediately admitted to the Isolation unit and put on a ventilator in view of severe breathing difficulty.”
Doctor said, “The baby underwent balloon aortic valvotomy or balloon aortic valvuloplasty is a minimally-invasive surgery is done with cardiac catheterization using a catheter with a deflated balloon in the tip. The catheter is inserted into a blood vessel. It is moved to the narrowed valve, and the balloon is inflated to open the heart valve. The challenging procedure lasted for two hours, and his echocardiography showed immediate significant improvement in the heart pumping capacity after the opening of the valve. The baby was shifted back to the Isolation unit for further management.”
The baby boy showed immediate significant improvement in the heart pumping capacity after the opening of the valve. He is off the ventilator now and recovering well.
This congenital condition is seen in two per cent of the overall population, among this, 15-20 per cent will have blocked valve, 25 per cent will present with this condition after 1 month of birth. Medicines were started to help improve the heart pumping and the blood circulation to the vital organs. The baby and mother’s nasal swab was sent for the Covid-19 test. In view of the overall sick condition of the baby, it was decided to perform emergency Balloon Aortic Valvotomy surgery for opening the heart valve. Delaying the surgery could have cost him his life. Hence, he was shifted to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for the procedure after initial stabilization.
Naresh Sahu, the father of the baby said, “We appreciate the safety measures and efforts taken by the doctors to save our baby. I am excited to go back home with them.”
The baby’s Covid test was negative. However, the mother tested positive and had to be shifted to Kasturba Hospital for isolation. The baby was then shifted to the cardiac ICU and is off ventilator now, and will be discharged soon.
“At Wadia hospital, we continue to cater to challenges and successfully manage such children apart from managing children with Covid infection,” said Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, CEO, Wadia Group of Hospitals.