Baby from Iraq with heart ailment treated successfully in Belagavi

The six-month-old infant had Blue baby syndrome; she is said to be safe now

The team of doctors at Lakeview Hospital in Belagavi that conducted a surgery on the baby.

A six-month-old baby from Iraq was successfully operated upon for a heart ailment at a private hospital in Belagavi recently.

A team of doctors led by Amrut G. Nerlikar and Prabhu Halakatti conducted a complicated surgery that lasted four and a half hours on Masar, who suffering from a congenital disorder. The baby is safe and recovering now, doctors said.

Doctors at Lakeview 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’.

Masar, the third daughter of Rafiq Zulfikar and Jehanbi Begum from Iraq, was brought to Belagavi after a family friend recommended the hospital. They first sent medical reports to Dr. Halakatti. The baby’s condition worsened as it had Down’s syndrome and weighed just around 4 kg.

Based on Dr. Halakatti’s advice, the couple brought their baby to Belagavi a few days ago and had her admitted. Dr. Halakatti referred the case to Dr. Nerlikar, who decided on a date for surgery. He was supported by Prashant M.B., Sunil Kumar, Prashant Hiremath and others. According to the doctors, post-surgery the child is no longer turning blue.

At a press conference in the hospital on Saturday, Mr. Zulfikar said he had lost all hopes of the baby’s survival. “But we came here on a friend’s advice and are now very happy to see that the surgery was a success,” he said.

According to a senior doctor at the hospital, the treatment cost was just 25% of what the couple would have had to bear had they gone to a big city.