24 hours, one chance: Patna baby born at 37 weeks survives rare heart defect

New Delhi: A baby from Patna, born at 37 weeks and diagnosed with a rare heart defect during pregnancy, underwent open-heart surgery within 24 hours of birth at Fortis Escorts Hospital, Okhla, last month and is now stable — after surviving a condition that could have rapidly become life-threatening soon after birth if not treated immediately.The defect—infradiaphragmatic total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) — is seen in about one in 10,000 births. In such cases, oxygen-rich blood fails to return to the heart and instead drains abnormally, leading to severe lung congestion and life-threatening oxygen deprivation soon after birth.For the baby’s parents — Dr Chetan Mishra, an orthopaedic surgeon, and Dr Pankhuri, a radiologist — the first warning came in the sixth month of pregnancy. A routine ultrasound flagged an abnormality, later confirmed through fetal echocardiography. They chose to travel from Patna to Delhi and plan the delivery at a hospital near a specialised cardiac centre, ensuring immediate transfer for treatment.Within hours of birth, the baby, weighing 2.5 kg, developed severe breathing distress, required respiratory support and was shifted to intensive care. An emergency echocardiographic evaluation reconfirmed the diagnosis.Barely a day after birth, the child was taken up for a nearly four-hour surgery by a multidisciplinary paediatric cardiac team, during which surgeons rerouted oxygen-rich blood back to the left side of the heart— the only definitive life-saving procedure.“This was a highly critical cardiac emergency where every minute mattered. Early diagnosis and careful birth planning allowed us to intervene at the right time,” said Dr KS Iyer, who led the surgery.The days after the surgery were tense. The baby was critically ill and unstable initially, requiring close monitoring and ventilator support. “We were able to gradually stabilise the child and remove ventilator support by the fourth post-operative day,” said Dr Parvathi Iyer, recalling how Dr Mishra met doctors every morning, holding on to hope.For the mother, the experience was overwhelming. “We lived every day in fear and uncertainty. Seeing our baby survive such a critical procedure feels like nothing short of a miracle,” she said.The baby was discharged after 11 days and is now doing well. The surgery was performed on April 14.Doctors say the case underlines the importance of early diagnosis, planned delivery near specialised centres and timely intervention — often the difference between life and death in rare congenital heart conditions.