BENGALURU : After almost a month of recovering from the first paediatric complex heart surgery successfully conducted at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta, 13-year-old Kushak is all set to lead a normal life.
Having suffered from Dilated Cardiomyopathy (a rare heart condition) since birth. Kushal, says, “I had stopped going to school due to my condition. I was unable to do any physical activities and I feared I would never be able to live a normal life again. Post-surgery, I am feeling better and hope to get back to school in the next few months.”
“The operation was performed on a young patient, which made it different. The heart of a 20-year-old had to be fit in to the tiny boy,” says Dr Vivek Jawali, chief cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, Fortis Hospital.
Kushal was kept in hospital for a while to ensure he recovered well. All reports, including heart biopsy, show good acceptance by the body of the donor heart, according to the doctor. The heart was harvested from a 20-year-old boy who met with a road accident and was declared brain dead in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. A team of specialists from the hospital went to retrieve the heart before a green corridor helped the organ travel in just over an hour.
“The boy will lead a normal life, but he has to take a few precautions such as avoiding dust, smoke and unhygienic surroundings,” says Dr Murali Chakravarthy, director, Department of Anaesthesia, who also contributed to the success of the operation. Kushal’s mother adds that she is extremely grateful to the doctors and the donor’s family for giving a new life to her son.