First Balloon Pulmonary Valvotomy performed
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 15 2018:
SKY Hospital performed first Balloon Dilatation of Pulmonary Valve Stenosis (PS) in the State on February 9.Master Md Sarfaraz, 5 years 6 months old was born with a rare congenital/birth heart defect called Pulmonary Valve Stenosis.
According to a press release from SKY Hospital & Research Centre, such birth defects limit/block blood flow from the right side of the heart (right ventricle) to the lungs for purification (oxygenation) of impure (deoxygenated) blood.
After oxygenation in the lungs, the blood returns to the left side of the heart for circulation to different parts of the body.
Such birth heart defects also restrict/block the flow of blood through the valve, to the lungs which can cause breathlessness, palpitation, dizziness, collapse and loss of consciousness.
If left untreated, this condition will lead to right heart failure and untimely death of the child.
Traditionally Pulmonary Stenosis is treated with open heart surgery to open/enlarge the blocked/narrowed valve to restore normal blood flow through the valve.
As an alternative to open heart surgery, a specially made balloon, Canadian made, size 4 cm long, 16 mm diameter was inserted in the deflated state through a small "pencil head size" incision (2.3 mm in size) at the right groin under intravenous anaesthesia.
The deflated Balloon was passed up inside the venous system via the right femoral vein into the right side of the heart.
The balloon, after careful positioning at the site of the obstructed valve, was inflated to its full diameter using the sophisticated Cath Lab Machine.
Immediately after the balloon dilatation, the Right Ventricular Systolic Pressure (RVSP) dropped from 72 mmHg to near normal level (37 mmHg).
The RVSP has normalised to 23.7 mmHg on the following day when he was discharged home on February 10, it stated.
Md Shakeer Ahmed, father of the child expressed his happiness to have received such complex procedures at free of cost at SKY Hospital under RBSK Programme, National Health Mission, Manipur.
Dr L Shyamkishore, Chairman & Chief Cardiologist of SKY Hospital stated that patients with such congenital heart defects were required to go outside Manipur for such sophisticated non-operative Balloon treatments.
He further stated that since more and more complex interventional cardiac procedures namely Balloon Dilatation of Narrowed (Blocked) Heart Valves e.g.Pulmonary Stenosis, Mitral Stenosis and Device closure of various birth heart defects are performed at SKY Hospital, there is no need for heart patients to go outside the State thereby reducing physical and financial hardship significantly.
Moreover such procedures/operations for children below 18 years of age are provided free of charge at SKY Hospital; he added.