Infant's coarctation of aorta corrected for the first time in NM

MUMBAI: For the first time in Navi Mumbai a two month old baby from Khopoli was successfully operated upon after she was diagnosed with coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta in her heart.
The problem of coarctation occurs in 0.1-0.4 per cent of people and if not corrected can result in drastic weight loss and difficulty in breathing in children, particularly babies. With a balloon dilatation completed to increase the opening of the aorta, the baby was discharged the next day with stable parameters.
Two month year old Suman from Khopoli was detected to have a serious heart coarctation.“The word coarctation means narrowing and they are the most common in the aortic arch. The arch may be small in babies with coarctations,” explained Dr Bhushan Chavan, pediatric cardiologist, Terna Sahyadri Hospital.
In addition the baby showed severe abnormalities such as not gaining weight and fast breathing. “In fact that was when we realized that she suffered from coarctation. To rectify the problem, a balloon dilatation of the coarctation was done in the cath lab,” Dr Chavan continued.
This condition is a common defect that accounts for 5.8 per cent of all heart defects. "Often the diagnosis is missed and if treatment is delayed the patient develops congestive heart failure," he said.
In this case the balloon was introduced in the aorta and the narrowest part was dialated by inflating the balloon which was later deflated and removed from the body. Though surgical correction was an alternative, the risk of mortality and complications were significant.