A BATTERY-POWERED DEVICE WAS INSERTED INTO THE BABY’S HEART TO REGULATE THE SLOW HEARTBEAT
Face2News/Panchkula
Markinga significant milestone in neonatal cardiac care,the Department of Paediatric Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Hospital Mohali, has successfully saved the life of a 1.6 kgs underweight newborn via Permanent Pacemaker Implant Surgery. During a routine follow-up, the 24-week pregnant woman was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) – an autoimmune disease wherein the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissues, joints, kidneys, lungs and brain.
Considering the high-risk associated with the case , the lady was kept on close follow-up with weekly scans. At 29-weeks, an ultrasound revealed that the baby had extremely low heart rate at 32 beats per min (severe bradycardia), and showed signs of congestive heart failure(heart cannot pump enough blood to meet body's needs), along with hydrops fetalis(excessive fluid accumulation in the foetus’s tissue and organs).
The woman immediately underwent an emergency lower segment cesarean section (LSCS) and the baby was shifted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where he was put on the ventilator and a temporary pacemaker insertion was conducted by Dr Rajat Gupta, Senior Consultant, Department of Paediatric Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Hospital Mohali.
The Department of Paediatric Cardiac Sciences at Fortis Hospital Mohali is the only centre in the region to receive patients not only from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, but also from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mongolia and South Africa.
During such interventions, wherein the newborn is underweight, pacemaker implantation requires a huge level of precision. He was also managed for neonatal heart failure and prematurity in NICU. Upon stabilization, the baby underwent Permanent Pacemaker Implant Surgeryby a team of doctors led by Dr TS Mahant, Executive Director, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS), Fortis Hospital Mohali; Dr Alok Suryavanshi, Senior Consultant, CTVS, Fortis Hospital Mohali; and Dr Rajat Gupta, Senior Consultant, Department of Paediatric Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Hospital Mohali.This helped stabilize the baby’s heart rate and supported cardiac function.
The surgery involved placing a battery-powered device in the baby’s heart to regulate a slow or damaged heartbeat.The baby had a smooth, post-operative recovery and was discharged five days after the surgery.
Discussing the case, Dr TS Mahant, Executive Director, CTVS, Fortis Hospital Mohali said, “This extraordinary case highlights the importance of early diagnosis, coordinated multidisciplinary care, and the availability of advanced neonatal cardiac interventions. The baby is now three-months-old and is leading a healthy life.
Awareness needs to be spread on the early detection of congenital heart defects. Failure to treat these congenital defects on time can lead to irreversible damage to the child’s heart.”
The Department of Paediatric Cardiac Sciences at Fortis Hospital Mohali is the only centre in the region to receive patients not only from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, but also from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mongolia and South Africa.