Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 9: A seven-year-old child from Poonch, suffering from breathlessness, recurrent chest infections and heart failure caused by a congenital heart defect, has successfully undergone a life-saving open-heart surgery at the Super Speciality Hospital, Jammu, under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
The child was diagnosed with a large Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), a hole between the lower chambers of the heart that resulted in excessive blood flow to the lungs and eventually heart failure. After pre-operative stabilization, the child underwent open-heart surgery. The defect was repaired with a patch using a heart-lung machine, and the patient recovered well before being discharged.
The case highlights the advanced congenital cardiac care now available at the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (CVTS), Super Speciality Hospital, GMC Jammu. The department is performing open-heart surgeries on children aged between one and 18 years suffering from congenital heart diseases under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, ensuring treatment without any out-of-pocket expenditure for eligible families.
The range of conditions being treated includes Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), Coarctation of Aorta, Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), ASD with anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) and complex defects such as Tetralogy of Fallot.
Doctors said many children with congenital heart diseases were previously brought for treatment at advanced stages because their families could not afford costly surgeries. However, the Ayushman Bharat Scheme has enabled parents to seek timely intervention. The department is also carrying out some of these surgeries through minimally invasive techniques involving small incisions on the right side of the chest.
Dr Shyam Singh, Head of the Department of CVTS, said that congenital heart surgeries in children require exceptional precision because of delicate heart tissues and the challenges associated with managing low blood volumes during heart-lung machine support.
Dr Puja Vimesh, Head of the Department of Cardiac Thoracic Anaesthesiology, said successful outcomes depend on close coordination among anaesthesia, surgical and perfusion teams.
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