For 9 yr old Nitin, it is almost like having a second heart and a second shot at life. Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon and its exceptional team of cardiovascular surgeons were able to successfully treat the school going child suffering from congenital aortic valve disease by performing the acclaimed ROSS Surgery–A procedure that includes aortic valve replacement with native pulmonary valve. The exceptional ROSS surgery was performed by Dr Vishal Agarwal – HOD CTVS, Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon.
Nitin came to the hospital with Congenital Aortic Stenosis. He complained of breathlessness, slight pain in the chest and uneasiness. His condition limited his participation in daily activities. According to Nitin’s father, “On his birth, the doctors had shared that he had a weak heart. Due to his heart ailment, he couldn’t run, play or be a normal child. He couldn’t stand for long and couldn’t run at all. Also, his life span was highlighted as limited and there were chances of sudden death. Post consultations with numerous doctors at Rewari he decided to come to Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon for expert advice.
According to Dr Vishal Agarwal, Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon, “Nitin had come with typical congenital aortic valve stenosis. Also, he had an abnormal tube connecting his lungs and body. This abnormality added to his problem. PDA- Patent Ductus Arteriosus is a condition in which the aortic valve — the valve located between left ventricle and aorta is not correctly placed and malfunctions. In this condition flow of blood from the heart does not go properly to the rest of the body and even to heart itself. The usual thinking is to replace his stenosed, choked valve, by replacing it with an artificial metallic valve which is a very common procedure in adults. However, in children, metallic valve replacement may fall short in 1-2 years because of increased body demand and body growth and then he would need another high-risk operation in a span of 1-2 years with increased chances of sudden death. So something different is required for a child so that he retains his normal pulmonary valve. To facilitate the same, the surgeons proposed a PULMONARY AUTOGRAFT which is a valve that grows along with the child.
Dr. Vishal Agarwal states that out of approx 1.5 lakh children born in a year suffer from congenital heart disease. It accounts for major infant death in 0-5 years of age because of lack of diagnosis and proper treatment. Out of this, the congenital aortic stenosis is still a very rare variant (1 child in 20 lakh birth). The treatment/surgery through Ross is still a rarely available procedure and was done first by Dr. Donald Nixon Ross in 1967 in London. It is only in the last 10 years that this procedure has been accepted and is now performed all over the world. Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon is one of the few centres in India that has the expertise and the medical acumen to perform Ross Surgery and other congenital surgeries.
When you ask Nitin, what he wants to do first on being discharge, he smiles and shares, “Run in the fields with no fear.”
