Dilip and Nilima’s (names changed) joy knew no bounds when they were blessed with a baby boy a month ago. However, their happiness was short lived when the child was diagnosed with severe myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by a viral infection.
Though myocarditis is a rare disorder (with approximately 1-10 persons per 1 lakh people affected by it), the doctors at Paschim Vihar based Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute were successful in giving a new lease of life to the baby.
The infant was admitted to the hospital with high fever, breathing trouble and excessive sweating during breastfeeding. Initial diagnosis suggested he had Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT) which meant that he was experiencing episodes of rapid heart rate of more than 220 per minute.
The normal heart rate of a person is 150 per minute. This was accompanied by inadequate pumping of blood (carcinogenic shock) which could lead to cardio-respiratory failure. The baby was immediately shifted to the paediatric ICU (PICU).
“To stabilise his condition, a team of senior consultants intubated the child and prescribed supportive medicines. To ease his breathing trouble, he was put on a mechanical ventilator,” noted Dr. Bhaskar Saikia of the Hospital.
The doctors did an echo which revealed that his heart function had decreased to 15-20 per cent whereas the normal functional capacity of the heart is 65 per cent.
“What made the case more complex was that the child suffered from repeated episodes of PSVT. In just two days, he experienced eight such episodes. Inotropes and antiarrhythmics were given for stabilisation. After four days the child’s breathing was brought to normal. A repeat echo was done to check his progress which revealed his heart functioning had improved to 60 per cent. As his condition improved he was extubated on the fourth day.”
Commenting on the case Dr. Pradeep Kumar Sharma noted: “It is very rare that viral fever affects the heart and presents these symptoms; even more so in early infancy. Till date we have observed very few cases of early infant myocarditis. In such cases, it is advised that they should be referred to a specialised centre early to improve the outcome. As the child’s condition improved in this case he was weaned off medication and was back to being breast fed. Once we were assured everything is okay, he was discharged.”
The child is now stable and will be monitored through frequent follow-up visits.
