#Gloocal Communications | AN OPEN HEART: DOCTORS OPERATE, SAVE ABANDONED BABY WITH CARDIAC DEFECT

AN OPEN HEART: DOCTORS OPERATE, SAVE ABANDONED BABY WITH CARDIAC DEFECT

By Lata Mishra, Mumbai Mirror | Feb 20, 2015, 12.38 AM IST

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Dr Suresh Joshi with a Bal Asha Trust employee and baby Maria

Two-month-old Maria was taken to Wockhardt Hospital for treatment by the Bal Asha Trust.

Authorities at the Bal Asha Trust were a worried lot after a woman came in with her baby a day before Christmas last year, saying she couldn't afford medical treatment for 23-day old infant she claimed was born out of wedlock.

Naming the baby Maria, they took her to Wockhardt Hospital near Byculla for medical examination where doctors discovered she was suffering from a congenital birth defect of the heart, and an open heart surgery was the only option to save her life.

Senior cardiac surgeon Dr Suresh Joshi, who operated on her, said, "The baby was brought to the hospital in a very bad condition. She was having breathing difficulty and high fever. After examining her, we came to know that the baby is suffering from cyanotic heart disease that occurs due to deoxygenated blood bypassing the lungs and entering the systemic circulation, or a mixture of oxygenated and unoxygenated blood entering the systemic circulation. It is caused by structural defects of the heart."

He added that this condition is associated with non-development of the right ventricle and with very high pulmonary pressures. "This condition needed a three-stage surgery to correct the defect," added Dr Joshi.

The first stage of the complex surgery was finally completed two weeks ago by Dr Joshi and his team. "The child requires two more operations. We will wait for six months and complete the remaining stages," added Dr. Joshi.

Jaishree Godpa, superintendent at the Bal Asha Trust, said, "The baby's mother approached us and told us that she doesn't want this child as she can't afford the medical treatment. The baby was just 23 days old. We approached the Child Welfare Committee and the girl was handed over to us after following the prescribed legal procedure. We named her Maria as her mother hadn't named her yet."

"We are really thankful to Dr Joshi who operated on the baby and saved her life. The hospital, too, didn't charge a single paisa from us. Otherwise, open heart surgery for children costs up to Rs five lakh in a private hospital," she added.

In the past two years, Dr Joshi had performed surgeries on two orphan girl children from the same trust. "Both girls have been adopted and both are doing well. While one was adopted by a city doctor's family, the other was adopted by a couple from Germany. I'm sure Maria will also get a home and new parents one day," he said

#Gloocal Communications | Infant with rare defect survives heart surgery

Infant with rare defect survives heart surgery

Mar 15, 2015 - Swati Jha | 

• Mumbai

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The case of Zayan Sheikh — the baby who survived a fatal defect where the blood from his heart was being distributed in his body without being purified in the lungs — does not cease to amaze doctors. The five-week-old boy underwent the complicated arterial switch operation and stabilised out of it within 24 hours.

Explaining the rare case, Dr Suresh Joshi, senior paediatrician and surgeon, Wockhardt Hospital, said, “In Sheikh’s case, the blue impure blood coming from the heart was being distributed in the body without getting purified in the lungs. The child had no mixing of blood as he had a very small Patent Foramen Ovale, which is responsible for transportation of blood.”

According to doctors, Sheikh was born blue and was suffering from significant respiratory distress and breathlessness. According to the National Centre of Biotechnology Information, the mortality rate in such a disorder is less than five per cent in the state.

“The survival rate is low in Maharashtra due to non-availability of specialised unit for paediatric care. The other associated reasons are non-availability of experts in the area due to which many a time, doctors lacking in expertise operate the baby,” said Dr Joshi. He added that Sheikh’s case was special for the hospital as he was born with the added complication of a hole in his heart.

About the operation, Dr Joshi said, “In this surgery, the artery on the right side of the heart is detached and implanted on the left side, where it is supposed to be and the pulmonary artery is transferred to the right side from its abnormal left-sided origin.” He said the complexity of the surgery lay in transferring very tiny coronary arteries that are about 1-2 mm in size.

The baby was taken off the ventilator in less than 24 hours and discharged from the hospital within a week; extraordinary considering a child generally takes 20 to 25 days for complete recovery.

#Gloocal Communications| Nonagenarian gets back on his feet after hip replacement surgery

Nonagenarian gets back on his feet after hip replacement surgery

When 96-year-old Tribhovandas Udeshi, a Parel resident, fell at his home a few days ago and had a hip fracture, his son Suresh wondered if his father would ever walk again. The accident left the nonagenarian in excruciating pain. He was taken to various city hospitals and clinics where he was advised to undergo hip replacement surgery. However, none of the health care facilities Udeshi was taken to was ready to operate upon him because of the risk involved due to age factor.

• Parel resident Tribhovandas Udeshi, 96, with his son Suresh (extreme left) and Dr Hitesh Kubadia, who performed the surgery

When 96-year-old Tribhovandas Udeshi, a Parel resident, fell at his home a few days ago and had a hip fracture, his son Suresh wondered if his father would ever walk again. The accident left the nonagenarianin excruciating pain. He was taken to various city hospitals and clinics where he was advised to undergo hip replacement surgery. However, none of the health carefacilities Udeshi was taken to was ready to operate upon him because of the risk involved due to age factor.

After referring the case to many specialists in Mumbai, the Udeshi family finally met Dr Hitesh Kubadia, consultant orthopedic surgeon at Nova Specialty Group of Hospitals.

Dr Kubadia recommended full-replacement of the left hip through the minimally invasive procedure. "The minimally invasive hip replacement surgery involves replacing the ball of the femur that is worn from arthritis, degeneration or a serious fracture. Special bone cement is used to heal the fracture. Similarly, with minimally invasive hip replacement, there is less cut-through of tissues. It was not the case of making the 96-year-old mobile, but to allow him to live an independent life," explained Dr Kubadia.

"Major complications do arise as you age. Thus, our effort was to optimise the patient and then go ahead with the surgery. In case of Udeshi, we had to conduct physical investigations for almost two days before deciding on the surgery. A special team of doctors was frequently monitoring his health," Dr Kubadia added.

"My father had always lived an active life until that fall, which not only broke his bone but also broke our heart that the fracture will leave him bedridden. But a few days after the surgery, he has started to walk with the help of a walker. Eventually, we are hopeful of getting him back to his usual self," said Suresh.

Udeshi has made a full recovery, said Dr Kubadia. "The surgery has always given 100 per cent result. Although Udeshi is currently walking with the help of a walker, he is confident enough that he can walk independently," he added.

Doctors say hip fractures in the elderly are critical ailments with possible life-endangering complications. Surgeries to fix breaks are common and effective, while healing can take an entire year. Once a senior citizen gets a broken hip, their health can take a downward spiral as the break can trigger other problems and affect their immune system. By 90 years of age, one in four women and one in eight men have get their hips fractured.

#Gloocal Communications : 97-year-old learns to walk again

97-year-old learns to walk again

Udeshi with doctor Kubadia (right) and a relative

For 97-year-old Tribhovandas Udeshi, regaining the use of his legs is like getting a new lease of life. The nonagenarian had met with an accident 15 days ago and had begun to lose all hopes of recovering after he was denied treatment by 15 clinics in the city.

Mr Udeshi, a Parel resident, slipped and fell at his home a few days back and had a hip fracture that left him in excruciating pain.

Doctors from the various hospitals had suggested that the fall had had severe repercussions on his left hip and surgery was the only option. However, nobody was ready to take the risk of operating on a 97-year-old patient. Being a patient of arthritis (his femur ball was affected) and old age had further complicated matters for him.

It was not just a surgery that Udeshi’s family members wanted; they were looking for a procedure that would allow him to lead an independent life.

Suresh Udeshi, Mr Udeshi’s son said, “My father had always lived an active life and it broke his heart that the fracture will leave him bedridden. The accident and the hopelessness induced by the doctors had left him disheartened.”

The family soon found hope in Dr Hitesh Kubadia, consultant Orthopedic Surgeon at Nova Hospital who took up his case. The doctor recommended full-replacement of the left hip through minimally invasive procedure, though he was uncertain if the procedure would bear fruit or not.

“The minimally invasive hip replacement surgery involves replacing the ball of the femur that is worn from arthritis, degeneration or a serious fracture. Special bone cement is used to heal the fracture. Similarly, with minimally invasive hip replacement, there is less cut-through of tissues,” explained Dr Kubadia.

He added that major complications do arise as one ages because of which the doctor’s effort to optimise the patient’s condition and undertake a surgery becomes difficult. “In case of Mr Udeshi, we had to conduct physical investigations for almost two days before deciding on the surgery. A special team of doctors were frequently monitoring his condition,” said Dr Kubadia.

Though the surgery undertaken was a difficult one, it was minimally painful for Mr Udeshi and he has now made full recovery in just 48 hours despite his advanced age.

Dr Kubadia also said that that patients should believe that despite old age, bones can be set and fractures can be mended