Hole in heart keeps 5-year-old alive
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Patients diagnosed with a hole in the heart are generally advised to undergo surgery to get it closed if they are to stay alive. However, contrary to it, came up a unique case at the city-based Fortis Hospital recently.
Five-year-old Srishan Rajesh was born with a congenital heart disease and added to it are other complex heart abnormalities; the holes in his heart are now keeping him alive.
Srishan, a native of Goa, was referred to Fortis Hospital from a private diagnostic centre where an echo cardiogram revealed some abnormalities in his heart and a physician at an anganwadi centre too suspected similar abnormalities.
“With complaints of breathlessness, even with the slightest activity, he would turn very blue if he cried. Srishan’s parents got him here at our hospital.
They were only told that he had a hole in the heart which needed an operation to be closed,” said Dr Joseph Xavier, consultant pediatric and cardiovascular surgeon.
Relating the complications of the case, Dr Xavier told Deccan Chronicle, “It is a very rare case. Srishan’s problem is that impure blood cannot reach the lungs as the blood vessel carrying blood to the lungs is blocked.
Whatever blood reaches the lungs through alternative pathways and gets oxygenated cannot return to the heart as this purified blood drain back into the impure blood channels.”
Adding to the complexity of his ailment is that instead of the normal four heart chambers, Srishan has only three.
“This puts a lot of pressure on the one pumping chamber that is present, which resulted in the leaking of valves between the chambers of the heart.
Hence, the two to three holes present in his heart enabled the impure blood to pass towards the pure side, thus keeping him alive,” he added.
Dr Xavier further said, “The operation was done about a week ago and had to be conducted very cautiously. We had to divert about 40% of the blood returning to the heart directly to the lungs.
The pure blood was re-routed to the heart, and the operation was done in such a way that the load on the single pumping chamber would be reduced and the valves between the chambers of the heart repaired and made competent.”
An elated Rajesh, Srishan’s father says, “I was scared when the doctor told us that Srishan has to undergo a heart surgery initially, I didn’t want to lose my child.
But when the doctor explained to me the complexity of his case and the need for surgery, I reluctantly agreed. Today I am extremely happy he is a normal child.”
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