7-Year-Old Pune Boy Saved With Free Life-Saving Heart Surgery

The importance of early detection and timely treatment of children suffering with Congenital Heart disease is reiterated by the Sri Satya Sai Sanjeevani centre for child heart care in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai through a case study of a 7 year old boy residing in Pune. 

The child named Ganesh Kumar  recently underwent a 4 hour long open heart surgery at the hospital for a complex congenital heart condition he was suffering from birth. 

“The boy faced a lot of hardship through the years and most importantly he found it difficult to sit continuously for 5 to 6 hours at a stretch as he used to turn blue in color owing to difficulty breathing. As a result the child had to discontinue studies and was restricted to his house,” said the trust officer Onkar Joshi.The child’s father is a small-time  vegetable vendor and originally hails from Bihar. 

The child underwent intracardiac repair for Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) , a complex condition of congenital heart disease. The treatment was conducted at the hospital for free of cost.

 “His heart had 4 defects which led him to feel exhausted and he required to rest every 2 hours which restricted his movements drastically. The family was aware about the child’s heart ailment right from age 1 however were scared to let him undergo through the surgery as they had lost another family member to a similar heath concern. The relative, also a child, had undergone an operation but didn’t survive,” said the officer.
The parents hoped the ailment will get addressed on its own instead the boy’s condition deteriorated further.

“His overall growth was affected and he was finding it increasingly difficult to do any task. The ideal age of treatment for a child with congenital heart disease is within the 1st year of birth. If the defect goes uncorrected not only is the child prone to further complications but also in many cases they come under the category of being inoperable,” informed Joshi.

The parents torn between fear and desire to give their child a chance at normal life were informed about the access to free treatment at Kharghar. The child was brought to the centre on January 29. He underwent the operation on January 30 and was discharged on February 8.“

+Congenital Heart Disease is the commonest birth defect and one of the largest causes of child mortality and morbidity. If any family finds their child with symptoms like failure to thrive, repeated pneumonia and infections, chest pain, shortness of breath, growth not as per milestones, they need to visit a Pediatrician who can refer a child to a Pediatric Cardiologist for further evaluation. Fetal Echo during pregnancy can also detect CHD at an early stage “opines Dr Jayashree Mishra  HOD  of the Pediatric Cardiology department.

With World CHD awareness week celebrated between 7th to 14th February, the hospital is determined to create as much awareness as possible.