Paediatric Cardiac team at SL Raheja Hospital – A Fortis Associate performed the rare ROSS procedure to cure a five-year-old's congenital heart defect (CHD) recently. The procedure involves replacement of diseased aortic valve with the patient’s own pulmonary valve. This is an extremely technical procedure and requires clinical precision to achieve optimal results. The team of doctors that performed this rare procedure was led by Dr. Vijay Agarwal, Director- Head, Pediatric Cardiac and Transplant Surgery, SL Raheja Hospital – A Fortis Associate.

Master Soham Wagmare was diagnosed with CHD involving structural problems in his heart, in 2014. However, with financial constraints and lack of appropriate medical advice, no treatment was done to correct the defect. In 2017, when the patient was diagnosed with dengue and was treated at a local nursing home, his condition worsened. He was brought to the SL Raheja Hospital – A Fortis Associate, under the care of Dr. Bhushan Chavan, Pediatric Cardiologist, at the hospital, for a cardiac evaluation. After clinical assessment, it was revealed that the patient had bicuspid aortic valve(BAV), a condition that results in formation of two leaflets or cusps instead of normal three, with aortic regurgitation or leakage. Under the leadership of Dr. Vijay Agarwal, a detailed treatment plan was drawn up and ROSS procedure was decided to be performed to correct this defect.

Speaking on the case, Dr. Vijay Agarwal, Director- Head, Pediatric Cardiac and Transplant Surgery, SL Raheja Hospital-A Fortis Associate, said, “We decided to perform ROSS procedure on Soham, as for children of this age, a suitable sized valve is not readily available. As the patient’s own Pulmonary Valve is used to replace the diseased valve, there is no rejection and it helps the body to respond swifter, as against implanting a foreign object. The need for blood thinning agents is also eliminated, helping the recovery process”.

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), a hereditary condition, with arotic regurgitation occurs in only two percent of the population. Out of which, a mere one percent of patients develop problems. Most babies with this condition have no symptoms, and the problem is not diagnosed until they are adults. Some people never find out that they have this problem. Severe risks like developing heart failure, swelling of the feet, breathless bouts, infection of the valves also known as ‘Infective Endocarditis’, pneumonia and swelling of the body are a sign of the heart function getting weaker, are involved while living with this condition. The survival time frame of this condition depends on the complications involved, each case is different from the other.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 17, 2018 02:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).