Does
it seem strange if you see a child who doesn't love to
play? It would, right? This particular child’s parents too felt the
same when they noticed that their small girl was never interested in
running around, or joining other kids in doing what kids usually do,
play!
But,
they also noticed that their girl was a bit too tired always, always
sleepy, she always expected her dad to carry her around. When she was
sent to play, she would make an attempt, feel tired, sit around, and
return. These problems gradually worsened and it became the worst
when she turned 3 years old. Or, it was perhaps at this time that the
parents really felt that there was something amiss with their
daughter, and that their daughter was not ‘lazy’, or something
around those lines.
They
immediately took the girl to their doctor. The doctor diagnosed that
the girl had a congenital
heart disease.
In medical terminology this is identified as ‘Tetrology
of Fallot’.
In the layman’s parlance it is often referred to as a ‘hole in
the heart’. The parents were at a loss when the doctor mentioned to
them the fact that their hospital was not equipped to handle the
required surgery on a girl that young with the equipment they
currently had at their hospital. Worse still they did not have a
pediatric cardiologist in
their hospital who could take up the heart surgery.
The
hospital did convey to the parents the fact that if the medical
problem were to be left untreated the girl had very slim chances of
survival.
The
parents desperately looked around for alternatives and they came to
hear through their hospital and their doctor that the heart
surgery could
be carried out successfully in India.
Subsequently,
the case report was sent to our hospital. The team of pediatric
cardiologists at our hospital checked upon the reports the parents
had sent to us. They analyzed the reports and arrived at the fact
that a total heart repair was required. The doctors advised that the
girl could be flown down to India to take the treatment forward.
Once
they arrived in India for treatment, the doctors suggested that
various tests be conducted on the girl since the reports currently in
hand were old. Current reports were required to assess the exact
situation the girl was in. The tests performed on the girl were the
usual routine blood test, urine test,ECG, Echo,
and Cardiac
Catheterization.
The
reports revealed to the doctors that the child indeed had Tetrology
of Fallot, which required correction of Pulmonary
Infundibular Stenosis and
septal defect.
The
child was posted for surgery the very next day. Doctors advised the
parents to not feed the child during the morning of the surgery day,
since the child was posted for surgery in the afternoon. It is
important that the child be ‘nil
by mouth’
four hours before surgery.
The
surgery was conducted under general
anesthesia.
Four cardiovascular
surgeons,
one pediatric cardiologist, 2 anesthetists,
2 perfusionists to
monitor the heart-lungmachine,
and the other support team were present during the open heart
surgery.
The
doctors gained access to the heart by cutting open the sternum.
The septal defect was closed with pericardium,
and the pulmonary infundibular stenosis too was corrected.
The
child was in the intensive
coronary care unit for
2 days. The child was very stable, and was doing good. On the
5th day,
the doctors advised that the child be made to walk around the
corridors of the hospital. On the 10th day
the stitches were removed, and the patient was discharged.
The
patient was called back for a review after a week post the surgery.
The
review revealed that the child was stable and was 'fit to fly'. The
parents were advised to treat the child as normal, and treat her as
they would treat any other child. They also advised that the child
could be admitted to a school.
Thus
the child got to experience a new lease of life post the corrective
heart surgery.
No comments:
Post a Comment