A premature baby weighing 1.6 kg, the second child of a nurse hailing from Vellore, underwent a pacemaker implant surgery five days after her birth at a private hospital in Coimbatore recently.
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The baby girl’s mother had undergone a surgical correction for a congenital heart disorder, atrial septal defect, in 2008 and her first child had died of congenital heart problems after birth, a few years ago.
Priya, 25, of Arani near Vellore, a nurse by profession, gave birth to the child at a hospital in Thanjavur on May 23. Low levels of amniotc fluid in the womb led to a premature delivery. Knowing the financial constraints of the family, doctors referred the mother and child to GKNM Hospital, Coimbatore, which has been partnering with Gurugram-based Genesis Foundation, an organisation that supports the treatment of children with congenital heart defects.
“During pregnancy, Priya had systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease, a condition that puts the foetus at risk for heart problems,” said R. Vijayakumar, paediatric cardio-thoracic surgeon with GKNM Hospital whose team performed the pacemaker implant on May 28.
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Genesis Foundation bore the cost of the procedure through its CSR partner H T Parekh Foundation and arranged a pacemaker from a medical equipment manufacturer, free of cost.
“The newborn’s heart rate at birth was less than 43 beats per minute as against the desired heart rate ranging between 100 and 150 beats per minute due to which the baby required a pacemaker,” said Dr. Vijayakumar.
“I am delighted that Genesis Foundation could facilitate the implantation pacemaker on the fifth day of birth of a very special infant weighing just 1.6 kg. And what is more gratifying is that timely intervention saved this baby of a couple who had earlier lost their firstborn to a congenital heart defect,” said Jyoti Sagar, founder trustee of Genesis Foundation.
The mother and child were discharged from the hospital on June 1.