Rare, complicated heart surgery ensures boy will bring in his first birthday breathing easy
Rare, complicated heart surgery ensures boy will bring in his first birthday breathing easy HALE AND HEARTY: Maaz Qureishi had a hole in his heart and his arteries were wrongly connected. He was operated for 10 hours at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri
Memories of a first birthday slip into family albums, but Maaz Qureishi's celebration will last for life.
On September 15 10 days before his first birthday he underwent a double switch surgery, which required stopping his heart for over three hours, along with a procedure to correct a hole in his heart.
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This makes it equal to three open-heart surgeries at a go, say doctors.
A team of eight doctors at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri operated on Maaz for 10 hours, after an ECG revealed a hole in his heart and that his arteries were wrongly connected.
Risky business
"We performed an arterial, atrial switch and closure of the hole, which is equal to three open-heart surgeries," said Dr Suresh Rao, head of the Children's Heart Centre of the hospital.
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"We had to stop his heart for over three hours, and use a heart lung machine, which is risky in the case of an infant because recovery is unpredictable.
Maaz, however, has been very lucky, as he does not need a pacemaker usually required for most patients who undergo the surgery." The boy was discharged on September 26.
Parents relieved
Maaz is the youngest of four siblings, and his parents, who live in Bandra, are relieved.
"None of my other children have faced such a problem. In June, Maaz was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia, when they reported his irregular heartbeat.
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I was shocked to hear about his multiple problems," said Umm Tamim, his mother. The family is ready for a celebration now, after Maaz spent Eid and his first birthday in the hospital.
"The doctors convinced us to celebrate his birthday, as the first one in a baby's life is special. We're thankful he is safe," said his father Abu Bakr, a mobile dealer in Behrampada.
Double Switch Surgery
The condition involves wrong connections in the heart, between the pumping chambers and the large blood vessels exiting the heart.
This can u00a0lead to ill health and stunted growth in children.
Three procedures Senning operation and Jateneu00a0procedure (transposition of the great arteries) and closure of the hole in the heart are performed to correct the problem.
5-6
Number of double switch surgeries performed in India so far
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