New Delhi : In a first in India, a stent was inserted into the heart of a month-old baby girl weighing just 1.8kg at a private hospital here, officials claimed yesterday.
And, what is more, the hospital did not charge any fees for the procedure as the patient's family is economically weak.
The baby was suffering from a common cyanotic heart defect known as tetralogy of fallot and was operated using RVOT (right ventricular outflow tract) stenting, said officials at the Fortis Escorts Health Institute, Okhla.
The baby was admitted to the hospital with a 4-5mm hole in her heart. Also, her right lung had collapsed.
“We had a protracted debate over the method to be followed in this case since the surgery, which is the standard practice in such cases, was not possible on a baby with such low birth weight.
