Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai has successfully performed 11 pediatric cardiac interventions on underprivileged children in 11 hours.

Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai has successfully performed 11 pediatric cardiac interventions on 11 children from Washim district in Maharashtra. The interventions were performed back to back in 11 hours with no morbidity or mortality. These 11 children aged between 4 years and 13 years had congenital heart disease, that if left untreated could lead to serious long-term problems if not treated.

Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai also treats patients under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) scheme. Under RBSK scheme, district medical officers screen and identify children with congenital heart diseases and specialist doctors confirm the diagnosis and provide treatment. The treatment provided to the patients are covered under this scheme, thus, helping their families drastically reduce the expenditure incurred on the treatment.

Dr Bhushan Chavan, Pediatric Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said, “In September, our team visited Washim Civil Hospital wherein we did echocardiography for 120 children suspected to have congenital heart disease. Of the 120 children, 35 of them had congenital heart disease. Out of 35 children, 40% were planned for treatment through angiography.

With permission from the Civil Hospital, the children were brought to Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai for angiography device closure procedure. On the day of the procedure, the doctors started operating by 7:30 am and performed one surgery after another. Out of the 11 cases, five of them had peri-membranous vascular disease which was challenging but yet completed.

The children were discharged post-op day three. The entire operation was smooth with no adverse events. These children do not require any other interventions besides follow up at the end of one month and then after 6 months. The remaining children will also be treated at Apollo Hospital, Navi Mumbai.

Mr. Santosh Marathe, Regional CEO – Western Region, Apollo Hospitals, said, “At our hospital we have undertaken more than 350 pediatric cardiac cases till date of which 40% were international patients. We have also done 60 cases completely free of cost. All 11 children have been discharged and returned to their homes in Washim with zero complications. We are extremely delighted that we could help and provide treatment to the children who need it the most. Performing back-to-back 11 surgeries required a lot of planning and hard work from the team. This unique feat was only possible due to the experienced clinicians and skilled clinical team in our hospital”