The pediatric cardiology team of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) successfully performed a high risk transcatheter (non-surgical) lifesaving cardiac procedure on an 8-year-old child at the Army Hospital Research and Referral here.
This procedure was performed on the boy from Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, who had a critical narrowing of Aorta (blood channel supplying pure blood to all the parts of the body) resulting in compromised blood supply to few vital organs of the body as well as reduced function of heart, as per a communique issued by the Defence ministry on Tuesday.
“This challenging complex procedure was done through a small nick in the groin and involved implantation of a large stent. It was an extremely life-threatening complicated procedure. However, it went off uneventfully and the child has been discharged in just three days post procedure without even a scar on the body,” it said.
Under Operation Sadbhavana in Jammu and Kashmir, the boy was brought to this center by Indian Army Dagger Division, as his family was incapable of affording his treatment, the statement said.
With the collaborative efforts of Army Hospital (R&R), New Delhi, Chinar Corps/Dagger Division, Jammu and Kashmir and Indrani Balan Foundation, Pune, the boy will now lead an absolutely normal life in future, it said.
The expertise of performing such a complex procedure is available only at a few centers in the country, including Army Hospital Research and Referral, Delhi Cantt, it added.