Life-Saving Heart Surgery At AIIMS-Nagpur Saves 900gm Baby

Time of India

24-05-2025

Nagpur: A premature baby girl weighing just 900 gram at birth made a miraculous recovery after undergoing rare and risky heart surgery at just two weeks of age. The baby was one of the twins born at only 26 weeks of pregnancy and was treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur.
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Soon after birth, doctors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) noticed she had a serious heart condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). In simple words, PDA is a small blood vessel in the heart that is supposed to close after birth, but in this baby, it stayed open. This made it very hard for her heart and lungs to work properly.
"Her condition was critical," said Dr Nishant Banait. "She couldn't breathe on her own and was completely dependent on a ventilator.
Medicines didn't help, so surgery was the only option to save her life," he added.
Performing heart surgery on a baby — smaller in size than a loaf of bread — is extremely rare and risky. But a team of experts from AIIMS Nagpur came together and performed the operation, known as PDA ligation, where the open vessel is closed using a surgical method.
Doctors said that this baby is possibly the smallest in the entire Vidarbha region to undergo this surgery, making it a historic milestone for neonatal care in central India.
Just two days after surgery, she began breathing better and was soon taken off the ventilator. She started feeding well, gained weight, and was finally discharged in stable condition. Currently, she is back home, doing well, and growing stronger with the twin by her side.
Dr PP Joshi, executive director of AIIMS Nagpur, said, "This shows the incredible level of care our hospital can provide. It's not just medical success, but a story of courage, skill, and teamwork.
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Performing such a complex heart surgery on a 900 gram newborn, and seeing her survive and thrive, is a proud moment for all of us."
Dr Seema Parvekar, medical superintendent, congratulated the entire team and called the success a strong reflection of AIIMS Nagpur's commitment to top-quality neonatal care. This rare case proves that with expert hands, modern medical care, and strong teamwork, even the tiniest lives can be saved.
Nagpur: A premature baby girl weighing just 900 gram at birth made a miraculous recovery after undergoing rare and risky heart surgery at just two weeks of age. The baby was one of the twins born at only 26 weeks of pregnancy and was treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur.
Soon after birth, doctors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) noticed she had a serious heart condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA).
In simple words, PDA is a small blood vessel in the heart that is supposed to close after birth, but in this baby, it stayed open. This made it very hard for her heart and lungs to work properly.
"Her condition was critical," said Dr Nishant Banait. "She couldn't breathe on her own and was completely dependent on a ventilator. Medicines didn't help, so surgery was the only option to save her life," he added.
Performing heart surgery on a baby — smaller in size than a loaf of bread — is extremely rare and risky.
But a team of experts from AIIMS Nagpur came together and performed the operation, known as PDA ligation, where the open vessel is closed using a surgical method.
Doctors said that this baby is possibly the smallest in the entire Vidarbha region to undergo this surgery, making it a historic milestone for neonatal care in central India. Just two days after surgery, she began breathing better and was soon taken off the ventilator.
She started feeding well, gained weight, and was finally discharged in stable condition. Currently, she is back home, doing well, and growing stronger with the twin by her side.
Dr PP Joshi, executive director of AIIMS Nagpur, said, "This shows the incredible level of care our hospital can provide. It's not just medical success, but a story of courage, skill, and teamwork. Performing such a complex heart surgery on a 900 gram newborn, and seeing her survive and thrive, is a proud moment for all of us."
Dr Seema Parvekar, medical superintendent, congratulated the entire team and called the success a strong reflection of AIIMS Nagpur's commitment to top-quality neonatal care. This rare case proves that with expert hands, modern medical care, and strong teamwork, even the tiniest lives can be saved.