SHILLONG: In a first for any private hospital in Shillong, the Supercare Hospital conducted a surgery to close a birth defect in the heart of a 14-year-old girl from Mawkyrwat, West Khasi Hills.
The girl was born with a hole between the upper two chambers of her heart called the ‘Atrial Septal Defect’, which was closed using an innovative technique wherein a small wire and catheter is used to insert a device into the hole sealing it permanently.
The wire and catheter were introduced into a blood vessel via a small hole at the groin that continues into the heart and goes across the ‘Atrial Septal Defect’ to deploy the device. The 14-year-old was discharged from the hospital the very next day after the procedure. She reportedly returned to her normal daily activities without any complication. The procedure was done by the Cardiology Team at Supercare Hospital led by Dr Synrang Batngen Warjri.
According to Dr Warjri, the procedure is unlike an open-heart surgery as it does not require general anesthesia, which makes it safer for patients. He said that the procedure does not leave a scar on the chest except a negligible one at the groin providing an improved cosmetic result.