An eight-month baby girl suffering from a complex birth defect of the heart known as “Truncus Arteriosus” was successfully operated, post-surgically managed the baby which was in critical condition and the baby got a new lease of life by a team of Heart Surgeon lead by Dr. Praveen Tambrallimath at KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital, Belagavi. The baby reported to the hospital with complaints of breathing difficulty, frequent cough, failing to thrive, poor appetite and giddiness.
“Truncus arteriosus” is a rare heart disease that occurs one in more than 15,000 live births. This defect could be an outcome of genetic disorders. It is a rare defect of the heart in which a single common blood vessel comes out of the heart, instead of the usual two vessels (the main pulmonary artery and aorta).
Surgical correction is the only option to save the life of a baby. In this case, both the aorta and pulmonary artery were coming from the same side of the heart. This condition requires complex surgical procedure which is usually life-threatening and has a high mortality. The surgical procedure involved separating both the arteries and the ventricular chambers. Operating on a small baby with low body weight (3.6 Kg) is a challenge and needs top order surgical infrastructure, ICU support and surgical skills. Dr. Praveen T. and the team operated on the baby for about 8 hours and saved the life of a child. Post-surgical management was even more challenging as the baby’s lung pressure continued to increase and the little baby was kept on a ventilator for two weeks. Post-Surgical ICU management amidst COVID-19 pandemic threat was a difficult task and required a multi-speciality approach which involved Dr. Nidhi, Paediatric Intensivist, Anaesthetist Dr. Sharangouda Patil & Dr. Abhijeet and Physio support. The child responded well, gradually the lung pressure came down, heart function stabilized, the supporting measures were withdrawn and baby recovered. The baby is discharged from the hospital.
Dr. Abhishekh Prabhu, Dr. Sharangouda Patil, Dr. Abhijeet Sitole, Dr. Nidhi were part of the team who gave new lease of life to the baby. The treatment was offered under Ayushman Bharath & Arogya Karanataka Yojana at free of cost. Parents are from a village of Savadatti taluka expressed their gratitude for the team of doctors and their efforts. Dr. Prabhakar Kore, Chairman KLE Society and Dr. M V Jali, Medical Director of the hospital have congratulated the team for a successful outcome and saving the life a baby.
