Trichy Maa Kaveri And Kaveri Heartcity Doctors Achieve Feat By Repairing Heart Defects In Babies Just A Few Days Old Through Angiography Treatments

Trichy 15.05.2025

A2kg baby girl, who was just 48 hours old, had a severely narrowed heart valve. This complex heart problem prevented the baby from getting enough oxygen. Similarly, an 11-day-old baby girl, who weighed 1.5kg, had a heart problem that affected blood flow.

Both children were treated and cured by the Pediatric Cardiology team at Kauvery Hospital using angiography. These treatments require only small, precise skin incisions through the blood vessels in the thigh area.

In the case of the 48-hour-old baby, the valve that carries blood from the heart to the lungs was severely narrowed (critical pulmonary valve stenosis). This made it difficult for the baby to get enough oxygen. The baby underwent a life-saving procedure called balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty. In this, a small balloon is inserted through a blood vessel in the thigh and the baby’s narrowed valve is widened. The baby recovered well and was discharged in good health on the fifth day after birth.

Another baby, who was only eleven days old, suffered from persistent breathing problems. Despite medication, he required artificial respiration. The underlying problem was an abnormal blood vessel in his heart. This blood vessel, which was supposed to close after birth, failed to close. This is called a patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA. The solution was to insert a small 4×2 mm device called a Piccolo to close the opening. The baby’s breathing improved within 48 hours and he was discharged soon after.

Doctors said that they have performed this very complex procedure on two babies who are just a few days old and both are doing well. Heart problems occur in one in every hundred babies born. Every year, two lakh babies are born with heart problems in India.

They said there was no reason for that.