Heart surgery in children is performed by a paediatric cardiac surgeon to rectify the congenital heart defects which a child is born with or to treat a heart condition that is developed over time.
While congenital heart defects are the most common reasons for heart surgery in children, not all heart defects need surgery. In this blog here we help you gain awareness on these congenital heart defects, heart surgeries procedures for children and guide you to the best paediatric cardiologist in India. Read on:
Congenital Heart Defects – Types and Surgeries:
What is a congenital heart defect?
An inherent defect present in the structure of a kid’s heart during birth is commonly called a congenital heart defect. These defects can happen to the wall, valves, arteries or veins of the heart disrupting the blood flow and impacting the function of the heart. These defects commonly occur during foetal development and hence a few can be detected during pregnancy with ultrasound or foetal echocardiogram.
Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects among infants today. On average congenital heart, defects show up among 1000 in every 100000 infants of which 250 would need treatment or surgery in the first year of their life.
Types of congenital heart defects & treatment options:
Not all congenital heart defect carry the same risk – defects range from simple and complex to critical ones that need surgery in the first year of birth. While common defects like atrial or ventricular septal defects sometimes may not require surgery, other defects like hypoplastic left heart syndrome or a combination of simple defects can be life-threatening without surgery. For congenital conditions that require heart surgeries, three different types of surgeries are performed by paediatric cardiac surgeons:
Open heart surgery is a major procedure where a heart-lung bypass machine is used to reroute the blood, oxygenate and pump it while repairing the child’s heart muscle and valves. Thoracotomy also called closed heart surgery is another surgical procedure where an incision is made near the ribs at the side of the chest to access the heart and repair the defect. The third surgical procedure uses small tubes that are passed through arteries in the legs to reach the heart – only a few defects are fixed this way.
Given the complexity involved in the surgery procedures heart surgery for children requires an experienced paediatric cardiac surgeon with a superior track record and if you are in Hyderabad Padma Shri awardee Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale is the best choice there is.
A pioneer in minimal access cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Gokhale also holds the record of performing the first-ever successful human-to-human heart transplant in combined states of AP & Telangana. Being one of the best cardiologists in India, Dr Gokhale has performed 46 heart transplantations, 15000 heart surgeries for both adults and children with a remarkable success rate. If you are looking for a paediatric cardiothoracic surgeon in Hyderabad, you can contact Dr A.G.K. Gokhale here: +919603040506
