Infant undergoes successful heart surgery in Delhi

A 14-month-old boy from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, which has been hit by communal clashes, has successfully undergone a heart surgery here, doctors said Tuesday.

Zubair was suffering from Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), a heart problem that affects babies soon after birth, said doctors at the BLK Super Speciality Hospital, where the boy underwent the surgery.

"PDA is present in all of us when we are in the mother's womb. It's a bypass for the lungs and is supposed to close within the first few days after birth. But in Zubair's case, it didn't, and as a result, his heart was strained and blood pressure increased," said Vikas Kohli, director of the BLK Children's Heart Institute.

"The challenge was to close the opening without surgery, considering the baby's age and weight. The process was done through the groin vein from where a wire was passed into the heart and the opening was closed," he said.

Zubair's lungs were flooded due to the condition, which resulted in recurrence of pneumonia. Hence, he weighed only seven kg whereas his ideal weight should have been 11 kg at his 14 month age.

Zubair was born in a poor family of 11 members who live in a mosque in Saharanpur.