On Friday, in an exceptional endeavor, doctors of the cardiology department of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences regulated percutaneous device closure on a three-year-old child. The child was suffering from Patent Ductus Arteriosus, an opening between the two major blood vessels leading to the heart. A similar operation was also successfully conducted on a 17-year-old girl. Both the patients were provided free of cost treatment under the Rashtriya Bal Swaasthya Kaaryakram (RBSK) scheme.
While elucidating the case, Dr. Prashant Kumar, assistant professor of the cardiology department, who operated Surbhi Kumari (3) and Khushboo kumari (17) on Friday, said that the opening is a part of baby’s circulatory system in the womb and it usually closes after birth. If it remains open, it becomes Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
“I have been doing these interventions for a long, but conducting a closure on a three-year-old is rare and has been done for the first time at Rims. The successful closure of PDA in such cases is difficult as the organs of the body are relatively smaller in size and must be done with complete accuracy because if left unattended, it leads to stunted growth and breathlessness and can be life-threatening, ” said Dr. Prashant.
On being questioned about the challenges, Dr. Prashant said that both the cases were completely different from each other as kids developed recurrent chest infections with this defect while those above 14 starts experiencing breathlessness and the management has to be different for each kind. Also, for patients less than five years, doctors have to be very cautious as these interventions are aimed at providing quality life.
Dr. Prashant also said that without the help from Dr. Sanjay Kumar of the anesthesia department and all members of the cardiology department, the surgery would not have been possible.
When he was asked why he preferred percutaneous device closure instead of an open heart for the closure intervention, Dr. Prashant said, “The parents of both the patients didn’t want an open heart surgery as it leaves a scar on their body. ”
Khushboo’s parents, who are the residents of Deoghar, said that she was losing weight because of the complication. While Surbhi’s parents said that they are grateful to the doctors of Rims.
“I had visited Rims in December last year and after the doctor diagnosed my daughter with PDA, we had thought we would be going for medication. But Dr. Prashant made us aware of the RSBK scheme and assured us that the treatment will be free of cost and he will take all necessary precautions. I am thankful to him for what he has done,” said Surbhi’s mother.
