‘Where There’s Will,There’s a Way! Open Heart Surgery by Manipal Hospital Doctor Saves Child’s Life
Mangaluru: When Parameshwara and his wife Gomathi from DK had their second baby, he was born with a birth weight of 1.75kg. When he was investigated in NICU at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal by Dr Leslie Lewis, Prof. & Head Neonatology, parents had a shock. He had multiple heart problems; however, nothing could be done because of his weight. After frequent hospitalization and failure to gain weight at 3 months he was advised intervention of possible. Baby Charvik was referred to one of the largest pediatric programmes in Bengaluru.
Charvik underwent treatment and extensive workup like CT Angiogram etc, which showed a unique combination of problems. He had a large hole between his great arteries aortopulmonary window, a large hole inside the heart between the pumping chambers (ventricular septal defect and narrowing of one of the blood vessels to the lung, Right pulmonary artery narrowing). To make things worse he had compression of the main windpipe to the left lung. He was told about the formidable risk in surgery and was asked to wait. He consulted another large cardiac hospital in Bangalore where he got a similar response.
Meanwhile, the child got sick and got re-admitted to neonatal unit of Kasturba Hospital under Dr. Leslie Lewis (Prof. & Head Neonatology). After treating the child Dr. Leslie asked them to consult Dr. Devananda as a last resort. Then the parents took all the reports to Dr. Devananda N.S at Bangalore. After going through all reports Dr. Devananda agreed to operate upon the child. Meanwhile, financial assistance was arranged through the Manipal Foundation and the child was shifted to Bangalore Manipal.
Charvik underwent open heart surgery with correction of all the defects on January 19, 2017. Post-operative period was very smooth because of all additional precautions. He was discharged from the hospital on 26.01.2017. Now he is doing well, free of infections and gaining weight. As per Dr Devananda says, it is so satisfying to see a child’s recovery from a completely hopeless situation. At the same time, we are proved that what was once possible only in the western world in heart surgery is being done in India but at a fraction of the cost. He adds, what ails pediatric cardiac are in India is still the ignorance about the disease and the outcome. Finance, even though an issue, largely manageable. The message that all the problems pertaining to the children’s heart are eminently treatable, if the care is provided in time, should be widely spread.
Regarding Press Meet at Mangalore Press Club:
Addressing the media persons during a press meet held at Mangalore Press Club, Dr Devanand, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, HOD & Consultant, Manipal Heart Institute, Bengaluru said, “It was not long ago that 5-month-old Master Charvik who was detected to have a hole in the heart when he was just one month old got a new lease of life at KMC, Mangaluru. When Master Charvik and his parents visited Manipal Hospitals at Bangalore, Dr. Devananda evaluated his condition and suggested that the baby has to undergo closure of the defect, which is medically known as ventricular septal defect and took up this challenging case when all the other hospitals refused to treat him.
He further said, “Master Charvik ‘s condition was extremely critical as he had a large hole in his heart and was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect in his heart just 2 weeks after his birth. His condition is medically known as congenital heart disease, a problem which is present at birth and is caused by abnormal formation of the heart during fetal development. He had increased heart rate, increased rate of breathing on crying and slow weight gain. We performed a BD shunt surgery to close the hole.There are some causes that can lead to Congenital Heart Disease like problems with genes or chromosomes in the child, such as Down syndrome. Taking certain medications or alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy. Congenital Heart Defect is an abnormality of the heart which occurs soon after conception and often before the mother is aware that she is pregnant.”
“I am happy to hold clinic every month to resolve paediatric heart issues as it is difficult to identify and makes parents extremely anxious. People of Mangaluru now can avail consultations in the comfort of their city without having to travel to Bengaluru. Manipal Hospitals has a world-class network of healthcare establishments in India. We have more than 25 years of experience in providing comprehensive healthcare that is both curative and preventive in nature. Today we are the country’s third largest healthcare group with a network of 15 hospitals that care for a wide variety of patients not just from India but also from across the globe.” added Dr Devanand.
Speaking on the occasion Charvik’s father Parameshwar said, “My heartfelt gratitude towards Manipal Hospitals, Dr. Devananda and team and the initiative by Manipal Foundation helped us to garner funds by crowd funding for the surgery. Our baby is healthy and has recovered completely. I am indebted towards everyone who helped me and my wife to overcome our difficulty and save our child on time.”
Also speaking during the press meet, Nishan- Senior Executive Marketing, Manipal Hospitals said, “In a bid to provide world-class paediatric heart consultations, Manipal Hospitals Bangalore brings monthly consultations to the people of coastal Karnataka. People of Mangaluru and nearby region can now avail treatments, OPD consultations by a renowned Heart specialist and Surgeon, Dr. Devanand, starting from today ( 13 May 2017). The clinic will be held every second Saturday of the month from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. and people can seek prior appointments.”
About Manipal Heart Institute:
Manipal Heart Institute is one of Asia’s largest comprehensive cardiac care centers and has one of the nation’s most respected groups of full time and dedicated cardiologists and cardiac surgeons representing every sub-specialty in heart and vascular medicine. Manipal Heart Institute has been recognized by various international bodies who have entrusted their citizens to the hospital’s safe reputation. The institutes today a landmark destination for not just the people from India but to international clientele from over 30 countries.
Manipal Heart Institute performs high-quality complex cardiac surgeries and procedures of all kinds, both on Adult & Children every day with a success rate of 95.97% and one of the lowest infection rates across the world. The team has collectively performed surgeries on over 10,000 patients.
About Manipal Hospitals:
As a pioneer in healthcare, Manipal Hospitals is among the largest hospital network in India serving over 2 million patients annually. Its focus is to develop an affordable tertiary care multispecialty healthcare framework through its entire multispecialty delivery spectrum and further extend it to homecare. With its flagship quaternary care facility located in Bangalore, India, 8 tertiary care, 7 secondary care and 2 primary care clinics spread across India and abroad, Manipal Hospitals successfully operates and manages 5,200+ beds. Manipal Hospitals provides comprehensive curative and preventive care for a multitude of patients from across the globe. Manipal Hospitals is first in India to be awarded accreditation by the AAHRPP for ethical standards in clinical research activities. It is also NABL, NABH and ISO certified. Manipal Hospitals is also the most respected hospital company in India and the most patient recommended a hospital in India by a consumer survey.