Ajit Karn
New Delhi: Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the efforts of the team of physicians at AIIMS Delhi who successfully performed a rare procedure in 90 seconds on a foetal heart the size of a grape.
The Prime Minister stated that the nation is proud of the dexterity and creativity of its physicians.
PM Modi tweeted, quoting Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s tweet, “Proud of India’s physicians for their dexterity and innovation.”
Mr. Mandaviya tweeted a link to an ANI article reporting the efficacy of the rare procedure on Tuesday.
“I congratulate the team of physicians at @AIIMS NewDelhi for successfully performing an uncommon procedure in 90 seconds on a foetal heart the size of a grape. My condolences for the health of the mother and child “The Minister of Health tweeted the ANI story.
As previously reported, AIIMS Delhi successfully conducted balloon dilation on the heart of a grape-sized foetus in the mother’s womb.
A 28-year-old woman with three previous miscarriages was admitted to the hospital as an expectant patient. After the physicians informed the parents of their child’s heart condition, the parents consented to the procedure in an effort to enhance the child’s prognosis.
The operation was performed at the AIIMS Cardiothoracic Sciences Centre. Interventional cardiologists and foetal medicine specialists successfully completed the procedure.
According to a team of physicians from the Department of Cardiology & Cardiac Anesthesia and the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology (Fetal medicine) at AIIMS, there is a link between cardiovascular disease and preterm birth “Both the foetus and the mother are in good health following the procedure. Doctors are monitoring the development of the heart chambers in order to determine the future care of the infant.”
“Some forms of life-threatening cardiac diseases can be diagnosed in utero. Sometimes, managing them in utero can enhance the prognosis for the newborn and lead to near-normal development “The team stated further.
This procedure is known as Balloon dilation of an obstructed cardiac valve.
The procedure is performed using ultrasonic guidance “A catheter was inserted through the mother’s abdomen and into the infant’s heart. The obstructed valve was then opened using a balloon catheter to enhance blood flow. We anticipate and hope that the infant’s heart will develop better and that the severity of the heart disease will be reduced at delivery “stated the senior surgeon who performed the operation.
The doctor stated that such a procedure poses a danger to the fetus’s life and must be performed with extreme caution.
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“Such a procedure is extremely difficult because it can jeopardise the life of a foetus, which is precisely located. Everything must be performed under ultrasonic guidance. Typically, we perform all procedures under angiography, but this cannot be done. All procedures must be performed under ultrasound guidance. Then, it must be completed swiftly because the major heart chamber will be punctured. Therefore, if anything goes awry, the infant will perish. It must be very fast to discharge, dilate, and emerge “AIIMS’s senior physician from the Cardiothoracic Sciences Centre team stated.
“The timing was measured, and it was only 90 seconds,” he added.
