Coimbatore: Department of Cardiology, Government Medical College Hospital, Coimbatore On March 17, 2023 conducted Workshop for treatment of Congenital Heart Defects involving holes in the heart, in six patient, by device closure techniques using state-of-the-art catheterization lab.
These catheterization procedures were carried out in association with Apollo Children's Hospital's “Little heart trust”. Out of which three had ASD (Atrial septal defect), one had VSD (Ventricular septal defect) and two had PDA (Patent ductus arteriosus) defects.
The defects were closed by the latest transcatheter technique which involves placing the devices using minimal incision and passing a catheter in the veins.
An average of 2.5 lakh babies are born with heart defects every year in India. One in five of these children suffer from life threatening defects.
Such heart defects were detected through the NHM-TAMIL NADU, National child welfare scheme (Rashtriya Bal swasthya karyakram- RBSK) in the preliminary examination and the children with such heart defects were treated in Coimbatore government medical college and hospital in collaboration with Little heart trust, Apollo Children’s Hospital Chennai, from where Dr CS Muthukumaran, HOD, Paediatric Cardiology, was the program coordinator for the workshop and accompanied By HOD and Assistant professors Department of cardiology, CMCH.
15 years ago, if a any patient had such deformities, they should have had an open heart surgery to repair the defect. A hospital stay of at least two weeks would have been required. But now with device closure techniques using catheterization, it takes less than 45 minutes with discharge within 3-4 days.
Dr. A Nirmala, Dean, Coimbatore Medical College, said that, Her cardiology team had scheduled procedures at least two weeks in advance. The size of the hole in all patients' hearts, which varied from 10 mm to 30 mm, was checked and custom-made devices had to be inserted to close it. Procedures were carried out from 9 am to 3 pm.
It is to be noted that, all the Six patients were given free treatment under the Chief Minister's health insurance scheme, while the surgery would have cost up to Rs.3 lakh in private hospitals.
