2-year-old first child in India to survive artificial heart; gets transplant

New Delhi: A team of doctors here have given a new lease of life to a 2-year-old baby who became the first in India to survive a Berlin Heart (artificial heart) and also get a transplant.

The baby girl from UAE suffered an end stage heart failure due to cardiomyopathy -- a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body, thereby leading to severe heart failure.

Doctors at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi in March, this year, registered her case with National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) for a heart transplant.

Waiting for the transplant, she was under medical therapy but her condition deteriorated.

She suffered from intractable cardiogenic shock -- a condition where the heart is unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body organs.

To save her life, the doctors implanted her with a special device named Berlin Heart (artificial heart) on July 29 to improve her condition.

Speaking to IANS, Dr. Mukesh Goel, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic and Heart and Lung Transplant Surgery, at the hospital said that “the baby girl is the first child in the country to survive the artificial heart” and “the second child ever in India to receive this life-saving device”.

The first, a baby boy, died within 15 days of the implant. “The delicate condition of the patient, and complex procedure, as well as very intensive and multidisciplinary therapy required post Berlin Heart are the factors affecting survival,” he explained.

The patient showed good recovery, and soon she received organs from Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai.

The heart was successfully retrieved, and with the support of the Mumbai Traffic Police, a green corridor was established to expedite the transportation process.

“As a surgeon, leading the journey of the youngest child in India through cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure has been an emotional and rewarding experience for me. Admitted for six months, she battled intractable cardiogenic shock and septicemia,” said Dr. Goel, in a statement.

Other doctors involved in the complex procedure include Dr. Bhabananda Das, Senior Consultant, Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery and Dr. Jothi Muthu, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Cardiac and Thoracic (Chest) Surgery from the hospital.