Army doctors perform critical life-saving surgery on infant

The doctors at the Pune-based Army Institute of Cardio-Thoracic Sciences (AICTS) performed a critical life-saving surgery on an infant detected with slow heart rate and diagnosed with complete heart block. AICTS is a super specialisation institute dealing with Cardio-Thoracic Sciences. 

Recently the 14-day-old boy of a serving soldier was diagnosed with the problem and referred to a team of specialists at AICTS for further medical and surgical management. It was found to be a rare case of complete heart block which occurs in one in 22,000 births and requires immediate surgical management if the medical intervention fails.

Since medical intervention could not increase the heart rate it was decided to provide mechanical stimulation to the heart by inserting a permanent pacemaker. The child was operated by the doctors at AICTS and a permanent pacemaker was implanted in the upper abdominal wall of the child. This is connected to the heart through a lead positioned surgically on the surface of the heart by opening the chest wall.

An official statement read, "The child has been successfully operated and the doctors at this Army specialist Cardio-Thoracic Facility deserve compliments for undertaking this difficult life-saving surgery on a newborn baby, who has been discharged from the hospital and is stable at home."