Cyanotic heart disease is a condition characterized with low oxygen levels in the blood due to cardiac defect leading to deranged function of the body
Baby was underweight at birth with bluish discoloration of lips and nails, gradually also developed difficulty in breathing
New Delhi, 14th June, 2022: In a rare case of congenital heart diseases, 3 months old Priyansh was successfully operated at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi. The child was born with a complication called, Obstructed Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection – a cyanotic heart disease, a heart defect in which the children are born which can change the way blood flows through the heart and lungs. It is a defect where the red or oxygenated blood do not reach the heart to be supplied to the body but join with the veins. Hence the baby survives only due to the presence of a connection with in the heart through which the red (good) blood mixes with the blue blood for survival. In this baby this connection was also very small & there was narrowing in the circuit due to which the pressure in the lungs were also very high.
As a result, the baby was blue with feeding & breathing difficulty.
After his condition deteriorated with acute breathlessness the child got admitted to Government hospital where heart disease was suspected, his condition deteriorated further & he was brought in emergency. On admission the child was on tube ventilation and was immediately transferred to the ICU under the supervision of Dr Manisha Chakrabarti, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Cardiology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi the baby was stabilized and his echo was done and was diagnosed with Cyanotic heart disease: Obstructed TAPVC. Surgical repair was done by our CTVS surgeon Dr Rajesh Sharma with help of anesthetist Dr Nitya Bisarya on the same day since any delay would have been fatal. Post-surgery the child was kept on ventilator till them time his heart and lung function stabilized.
Dr Manisha Chakrabarti, who primarily took care of the baby said,’ On admission the child was very critical, breathing heavily and had irregular vitals. We immediately did an echo that revealed this rare congenital heart disorder and performed surgery on same day.
Post-surgery the child needed to be in ICU for 11 days, under care of our Cardiac Intensivist Dr Vishal Singh, till the time his heart and lung function were normalized completely. The baby was also given aggressive respiratory therapy. On 16th May, the child was discharged in a healthy condition.’
Out of all congenital heart diseases, this condition is one of the rarest. While there is no set reason for its occurrence, there can be multiple factors responsible like chemical exposure, genetic syndrome, and infections during pregnancy, unmonitored use of medicines by the mother.
Dr Manisha Chakrabarti, stressed on the fact that such condition has very good future if operated on time and every effort should be taken for transfer of such babies in appropriate hands once suspicion is made. She thanked the Government doctor’s initiative to stabilize the baby and motivate the parents to consent foe high risk surgical procedure.