Orphaned by COVID-19, Medica treats successfully 11-year-old girl by unique innovative rotational angiogram
Medica
Superspecialty Hospital, uses this rare technology for the first time to treat
congenital structural heart disease
Medica Superspecialty Hospital the largest chain of private hospitals in Eastern India
has always been a forerunner when it comes to implementation of cutting-edge
life-saving technology to save patients. The hospital in its quest for superior
treatment performed a keyhole procedure in the Cath lab and treated Priya
Das (Name Changed) who was suffering from a complex congenital heart
disease without any open-heart cardiac surgery. Medica Superspecialty Hospital
becomes a part of only a handful of special league hospitals in India or
globally to conduct such innovative treatment in the history of cardiac
diseases. Priya Das underwent an interesting cardiac catheter intervention
(micro keyhole procedure) at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata on
25th August, 2021. The team put in their combined efforts under the
leadership of Dr. Anil Kumar Singhi, Paediatric Cardiology who was ably
supported by Cathlab team. The use of rotational angiogram is an advanced
technique to do structural intervention in selected cases. The technology is
available at Medica’s GE lab and for the first time it was used for structural
heart intervention.
In a
touching tale of life, Priya Das, 11-year-old orphan who lost her mother
recently due to COVID and father earlier in life was brought to Medica
Superspecialty Hospital with a complex congenital heart disease after two major
cardiac surgery were already performed at some other hospital. She underwent
staged palliation for her univentricular (Single lower chamber instead of two
ventricle) heart outside. The oxygen saturation was low even after final
operation (90-91%). There was a fenestration created as part of Fontan surgery
(A palliative surgery where impure and pure blood is separated out via
extracardiac artificial tube connection, lung artery directly connected to
impure blood carrying vena cava). A 5 mm connection between IVC - Pulmonary
artery conduit (Artificial tube connecting lung artery and vena cava) and Right
atrium. There was shunting of blood from the Pulmonary circuit to the Right
atrium which was the cause of desaturation. The surgery was incomplete as the
fenestration was still not closed. The fenestration is made by the doctor who
conducted the cardiac surgery for bailing out immediate post operative crisis.
Dr.
Anil Kumar Singhi, who
performed the procedure, stated, “It was a challenge even for an experienced
doctor to close an artificial connection who did not conduct the earlier
surgeries. The abnormal connection between the artificial tube of impure blood
(between lung artery and vena cava) and the right atrium is never in a fixed
position and cannot be seen well by routine echocardiographic cardiac imaging.
The rotation angiogram is rare technique which profiles the connection through
180-degree imaging while helping to detect the radio-contrast agent injected in
the vein so that exact position of the abnormal connection can be readily
localised. Once her parameters were found optimum for closure in balloon
occlusion test ,the connection was closed with a newer device with complete
occlusion and her saturation increasing to 97% on the table. The child has been
discharged the next day itself and her smiling happy face brings lot of joy to
us at Congenital and structural heart disease wing. We wish her a long and
healthy life ahead.”
Dr.
Alok Roy, Chair FICCI Health Services Committee and Chairman Medica Group of
Hospitals, averred, “The ultimate
dexterity and unique ability to improvise during a critical procedure has
always been the hallmark of Medica. I congratulate Dr. Anil Kumar Singhi along
with the entire Cath Lab team who went beyond the normal and performed this
sensitive case taking utmost care of the child who has suffered immensely in
her life already. We are glad, we could perform this rare treatment and going
forward we hope we are determined to offer the best solutions through the
development of our congenital and structural heart disease wing.”
Having set benchmarks in patient care, Medica Superspecialty Hospital,
which has a world-class comprehensive department for heart failure, at the
facility, in Kolkata, is widely known for its excellence in cardiac care has
now added another feather to its cap, after successfully conducting the
high-risk operation with extensive options for treatment and management of
congenital cardiac disease.
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