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5-year-old gets a new lease of life after rare heart surgery in Mumbai

5-year-old gets a new lease of life after rare heart surgery in Mumbai

A rare heart procedure helped save 5-year-old Soham Waghmare to lead a normal life.

Written by Editorial Team |Published : April 17, 2018 12:58 PM IST

Five-year-old Soham Waghmare was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect involving problems in his heart, in 2014. Due to financial constraints and lack of appropriate medical advice, the treatment to correct the defect wasn't done. In 2017, when Soham was diagnosed with dengue and was treated at a local nursing home, his condition worsened. After clinical assessment, it was revealed that the patient had Bicuspid Aortic Valve(BAV), a condition that results in the formation of two leaflets or cusps instead of normal three, with aortic regurgitation or leakage.

BAV, a hereditary condition with aortic regurgitation occurs in only 2% of the population. Out of which, a mere 1% of patients develop problems. Most babies with this condition have no symptoms, and the problem is not diagnosed until they are adults. Some people never find out that they have this problem.

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It was then decided that a Ross procedure was to be performed. A Ross procedure or a pulmonary allograft is a technical one. A pulmonary allograft is the one where the patient's own pulmonary valve is used to replace the diseased aortic valve. The main indicators for the Ross procedure are seen in children from 1 to 15 years of age, this can, however, be performed on an older person too.

Speaking on the case, Dr Vijay Agarwal, Director- Head, pediatric cardiac and transplant surgery, SL Raheja Hospital said, We decided to perform Ross procedure on Soham, as for children of this age, a suitable sized valve is not readily available. As the patient s own pulmonary valve is used to replace the diseased valve, there is no rejection and it helps the body to respond swifter, as against implanting a foreign object. The need for blood thinning agents is also eliminated, helping the recovery process .

Explaining the complexity of the situation, Dr Agarwal further added, Soham was suffering from a severe bout of fever that made it a high-risk case. We had to wait for his fever to be controlled, post which we operated on him. Since he was on the verge of heart failure, surgery was the need of the hour.

Father of Soham, Sharad Waghmare, a field worker, said, My son has recovered well; this after so many years of struggle to find a cure for my child, we couldn t be happier." Sharad has also been detected with BAV recently and, since, been advised regular medical check-up; his condition in all likelihood has been passed on to Soham.

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Speaking on the rarity of the case and the hardships faced by the parents, Dr Bipin Chevale, zonal director, S L Raheja Hospital said, Our paediatric cardiac team has breathed new life into the young patient. The child can now lead a normal life and can go back to school. With funds coming in from trusts and NGOs, the family s financial burden has been eliminated as well.

Source: Press Release

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