BHUBANESWAR: Thirty-two-year-old Susmita Sethi got a new lease of life after doctors at Manipal Hospital here performed a rare and highly-challenging open-heart surgery and successfully treated her two serious heart conditions even as she suffered from sickle cell anaemia, a hereditary blood disorder that significantly increased the risk of surgery.
Led by Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery’s senior consultant Dr Jitendra Nath Patnaik, the multi-disciplinary team overcame several clinical challenges through careful planning, pre-operative preparation and coordinated care.
Sethi had been suffering from severe breathlessness for several years. Over time, her condition worsened to the point where she even struggled to perform daily routine activities.
She developed swelling in her face and feet, frequently woke up during nights feeling suffocated and experienced several episodes of loss of consciousness due to her worsening heart condition.
Concerned about her deteriorating health, she approached Manipal Hospital for treatment. A comprehensive cardiac evaluation revealed that Sethi had two major structural heart problems.
She was born with a hole in her heart, known as an atrial septal defect (ASD) and had also developed severe leakage of her mitral valve. The planned procedure involved closing the hole in the heart with a surgical patch and replacing the damaged mitral valve.