A six-month-old baby from Iraq was successfully operated upon for a heart ailment in a private hospital in Belagavi on Saturday.
A team of doctors led by Amrut G. Nerlikar and Prabhu Halakatti conducted a complicated surgery lasting four-and-a-half hours on Masar, who was suffering from a congenital disorder. The baby is safe and recovering now.
Doctors at the BHR Lake View Hospital diagnosed it as Complete Atrioventricular Canal defect (CAVC), severe aortic valve regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension and Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), sometimes called Blue Baby.
Masarwas brought to Belagavi after a family friend recommended the hospital. The baby had Down’s syndrome and weighed just around 4 kg.
Masar has made excellent recovery now and no longer turns blue, doctors said.
At a press conference in the hospital on Saturday, the baby’s father M. Zulfikar said he had lost all hopes of its survival. “But we came here on a friend’s advice and we are very happy to see that the surgery is successful.” His wife Jehanbi was present.
Hospital sources said the couple had zeroed in on Belagavi after they found the treatment cost-effective.
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