Baby gets his heart back inside

Ahmedabad: The little heart beating outside on the week-old boy's body was gently but firmlytucked inside.


Cardiac surgeons at the UNMehta Hospital performed the surgery early on Friday morning wherein they expanded the cavity and put the heart back in its place. The child is reported to be critical and will be closely monitored for the next four days.


Medical spokesperson Dr Kashyap Sheth said that the four-hour long surgery was performed by a team of 12 doctors which included paediatric cardiac surgeon Dr Amit Mishra, himself along with cardiologists and intensivists.

The child was born to Harish and Kailash Parmar in Saraspur with a congenital condition called Ectopia Cordis Totalis and was admitted with severe infection in UN Mehta as his heart precariously beat to the beats of life outside his chest. Since the covering membrane had ruptured, the doctors had put him on high dose on antibiotics to bring down the infection.

"Since the infection could be brought to minimum safety levels, it was decided to carry out the surgery. We created more space in his chest cavity and adjusted the heart in its right place. It was checked that his heart is beating well and is not pressured inside the cavity", Dr Sheth said.

Doctors said that while the first step of putting the heart back has been successful, he will have to be closely monitored to check whether the body accepts the heart inside. Specific tests will be carried out and his activity checked regularly to ensure that his heart adjusts back inside his body.

"Next four days are critical. Please pray for him", his father Harish pleaded even as he expressed his happiness over the sucessful completion of the first surgery.