Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery in India

 

What is Pediatric Cardiology ?

Sometimes heart surgery in children is required for repairing defects in the heart which a child might have born with (known as congenital heart defects) and heart diseases which he gets after birth, which require surgery. Pediatric Cardiac Surgery deals with operative procedures in the newborn and unborn children and youngsters suffering from cardiac dysfunctions, structural, functional and rhythm-related issues of the heart also.

Pediatric Cardiac Surgery often deals with heart problems in children, the cause of congenital heart diseases which are common heart ailments among new born children and involves deficiencies like structural defects, congenital arrythmias and cardiomyopathies, which result in different kinds of abnormalities related to the heart. Congenital heart disease is a cause of improper growth of the heart or blood vessels before birth.

Pediatric Cardiology Facilities

The Paediatric cardiology department of any hospital offers all non-invasive diagnostic and paediatric cardiac interventional services. The diagnostic modalities are inclusive of foetal echocardiography, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, round the clock Holter, CT and MR angiography as well as diagnostic cardiac catheterisation. Cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, anesthesiologists and other specialists work closely together to care for newborn as well as unborn children suffering from cardio-vascular disorders who provide exceptional pre and post operative services.

Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery

There are a number of Pediatric Cardiology Surgeries such as balloon atrial septostomy, Valvuloplasty/Angioplasty, Patent Ductus Arteriosus, Ventricular Septal Defect and Atrial Septal Defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return, Double Outlet Right Ventricle etc. The major ones are:

Balloon Atrial Septostomy (BAS) : This technique, also known as the Rashkind procedure used for enlarging a hole between the right atrium and the left atrium. It is often used to manage patients with transposition of the great arteries. Here the larger hole improves oxygenation of the blood.

Valvuloplasty/Angioplasty : Valvuloplasty is that process where a small balloon is inserted and inflated for stretching and opening a narrowed (stenosed) heart valve. On the other hand, angioplasty is a non-surgical process which can be used for opening blocked heart arteries.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus : This is a kind of defect in infants where vessel (the ductus arteriosus) fails to close soon after birth which results in abnormal blood flow, between the pulmonary artery and aorta, which takes the blood from the heart to the lungs and to the rest of the body. To treat it, an incision is made under the chest through which tubes are inserted to regulate the flow of blood supply.

Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) : Both of these are congenital defects. In ASD, the wall that separates the upper heart chambers (atria) does not close completely. The surgery here involves a placement of an ASD device into the heart through catheters, which is inserted by making a tiny incision in the groin area. While in VSD, happens at the time of birth. It is explained as one or more holes in the wall that separates the right and left ventricle of the heart. In pre-natal stages, the right and left ventricles of a heart are not separate. As the fetus grows, a wall is formed for separating the two ventricles but if the wall does not form completely, a hole remains. This can be treated by inserting cardiac catheterization.

Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) : Another congenital heart defect, it is a constellation of four abnormalities, which result in insufficient oxygen in the blood. In this case, a surgery is needed for restoring these defects which are caused, main; paid at the time when the infant is young.

Paediatric Cardiac surgery or Child Heart surgery in India
Paediatric cardiac surgery or Child Heart surgery is quite complex and needs sophisticated technologically and advanced miniature equipment for proper treatment and care of the children. The surgery thus requires special set up and best cardiac surgeons in the world who are specially trained surgeons to perform the child heart surgery. Paediatric cardiac surgeons are specially trained surgeons to treat the heart problems in children.

India has few of the best heart hospitals in the world which have the most sophisticated technology and equipment for the best outcome in a paediatric cardiac surgery or child heart surgery. There are highly trained heart surgeons considered to be the best pediatric cardiac surgeons in the world.

A graft, which is a common blood vessel, created to clear a blocked artery, is attached above and below the area within the blocked artery so that the blood flow can be diverted to the new, unblocked path, and hence blood flows freely to the heart. The graft is usually taken from an internal mammary artery of the chest, or the veins of the leg. The traditional operation requires a six to eight inch incision down the center of the breastbone so the surgeon can reach the heart directly. During the surgery, the body is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine that keeps the blood flowing so that circulation of blood to other parts of the body is not hampered. The heart is stopped while the doctor conducts the operation and special wires are used to close the chest.

Candidates for Pediatric Cardiac surgery

A child may have serious congenital heart defects or less serious heart defects and thus the type of surgery and urgency can be decided by the paediatric cardiac surgeon.

Serious congenital heart defects usually become evident during the first few hours, days, weeks and months of life. Symptoms of serious heart defects may include loss of healthy skin color leading to pale gray or blue colour of the skin, rapid breathing, swelling in the legs, abdomen or areas around the eyes, poor weight gain.

Less serious congenital heart defects are often not diagnosed until later in childhood. The child may not have any noticeable signs or symptoms. Few of the symptoms that the child may have are easily becoming short of breath or tiring during exercise or activity, swelling in the hands, ankles or feet or built-up fluid in the heart or lungs.

Time & Cost

The stay required in India depends upon the type of problem and the surgery advised by the surgeon. You may need to stay for about three to six weeks in India for a paediatric cardiac surgery or child heart surgery.

The cost of paediatric heart surgery in or the cost of child heart surgery in India depends on the type of surgery advised by the surgeon, city and facility you choose to get the procedure done. Your case manger shall help you with the cost after you provide with the medical reports of the child.

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