Four months old Bangladeshi infant given a new lease of life at Jaypee Hospital

A team of doctors led by pediatric cardiac specialist, Dr. Rajesh Sharma, at Jaypee Hospital, once again proved their capability by successfully performing a rare heart surgery on a 4 months old baby boy Fahrukh from Bangladesh. This remarkable surgery could only have been performed in a few selected hospitals. Fahrukh was suffering from a critical heart ailment since his birth. Before coming to the Jaypee Hospital, his parents tried every avenue to treat their son and even took him to a reputed hospital in Bengaluru for his treatment. But the doctors couldn’t guarantee success and warned the couple that there was 100% risk in performing the surgery. Dejected, they went back to Bangladesh.

After this, when they came to know about the expertise of Dr Rajesh Sharma, a world renowned pediatric cardiac surgeon, at Jaypee Hospital, who has achieved praiseworthy milestones in his expertise, Fahrukh’s parents brought him back to India in the hopes of getting their son cured by availing treatment at Jaypee Hospital in Noida. This time Fahrukh and his parents did not return disappointed because Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Dr. Rajesh Sharma and his team at Jaypee Hospital successfully operated on Fahrukh’s heart, treating the problem once and for all.

Talking about this unique case, Dr. Rajesh Sharma, Senior Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon from Jaypee Hospital explained, “In a human body, pulmonary veins carries the oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart from where it is carried to rest of the body. In Fahrukh’s case, the pulmonary venous was performing a reverse process, which means that they were carrying the blood from the lungs to right atrium of the heart. This caused high lung pressure making the body turn blue due to the severe obstruction of the pulmonary veins. This ailment is known as total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in medical terms.

Before coming to Jaypee Hospital, the child was taken to a well-known hospital in Bengaluru for the treatment. He was admitted there for a few days but the doctors there couldn’t provide this stressed couple any hope. So, they went back to Bangladesh. After going back home, his health condition started deteriorating even more and he suffered from pneumonia.” added Dr. Sharma.

Dr. Rajesh Sharma, Director and Head, Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Department, Jaypee Hospital further added, “When Fahrukh was brought to Jaypee Hospital, his heart and muscles were barely functioning. His condition would have become severely critical, if he wasn’t given the proper treatment within a month.

A new lease of life was given by the efforts of the team of pediatric heart specialists at Jaypee Hospital after four hours of complicated surgery. The surgery which we performed is called ‘rerouting of pulmonary venous to left side of the heart’ in which pulmonary venous was redirected from right to the left side of the heart.”

Commenting upon the complications associated with the surgery, Dr. Sharma explained, “Although, we performed a successful surgery, but due to suffering through a prolonged illness, the kid’s heart had become very weak. Hence, we had to keep him on ventilator for quite a long time. Considering the high risk of post-surgical infections, we had to design his prescription with IVIG drug. Also, to improve the body resistance and to make his heart and lungs function properly, essential medicines were given to him.”

Dr. Rajesh Sharma, Director, Department of Paediatric Heart Disease, Jaypee Hospital further explained, “The child was kept for 28 days on the ventilator with the support of tracheotomy. To improve his health through proper nutrition, he was fed via a tube (eternal nutrition). We were able to shift him to the general ward after 35 days, and it took 45 days to bring him back to the normal life.”

Post the surgery, Fahrukh is now capable of living a normal life like any other child. The successful surgery of Fahrukh has not only given him a new lease of life but also proved the expertise of the doctors who are capable of curing even rare birth defects.