Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 20: Congenital heart problems can be diagnosed before birth of the baby and appropriate steps can be taken then.
This was stated by Dr Rajat Gupta, Pediatric Cardiologist at Fortis Hospital Mohali while addressing media persons here today. Dr Gupta, who was in Jammu for the Pediatric Cardiology awareness drive said that to achieve the best results in such cases, early diagnosis and timely intervention is a must.
“Awareness among the parents, school teachers and health care providers all lead to early detection of congenital heart defects and these defects can be treated without surgery too, giving new lease of life to children,” Dr Gupta said, adding, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, being the only hospital in the region to offer complete diagnostic, surgical and non-surgical treatment in heart ailments among children, has recently successfully treated two children.
Dr Gupta said that one in every hundred babies suffers from congenital heart defects, or heart defects that are present since birth. Close to 1.8 lakh babies are born with these heart problems every year. But only a small percentage of them get appropriate and timely treatment. The main reasons behind this are lack of awareness and myth that the hole in the heart will heal by itself with time. The delay in seeking treatment complicates matters, the cardiologist added.
“Heart defects, which are present since birth, could be a simple hole in heart, which can be treated without surgery by catheter intervention or the defects can be complex, requiring open heart surgery. Treatment for these defects in children is limited to handful of hospitals across the country,” he added.
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