If you do not believe in miracles, this story may change your opinion. A four-month-old baby from Solapur survived over 20 heart attacks caused by a rare anomaly.
Doctors who treated Aditi Pramod Gilbile said that she narrowly escaped death and praised her parents’ spontaneous decision to have her undergo surgery.
The infant was diagnosed with the rare congenital malfunction—Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from Pulmonary Artery (ALCAPA). The condition is so rare that it affects only one in three lakh children.
The defect arises when the main ventricle that supplies oxygen to the body doesn’t form the way it should. The heart receives very little blood and this can lead to multiple heart attacks.
Aditi’s mother told The Times of India, “She would sweat profusely and refused to breastfeed. We rushed her to a doctor the day she bawled incessantly for three hours.”
Nine out of ten children suffering from the disease die within a year of developing symptoms as the heart functions reduce alarmingly. The symptoms include sweating and incessant crying.
A doctor from Barshi Taluka, Gilbile’s residence, identified the heart’s role after he discovered Aditi’s weak heartbeat. He referred them to facilities in Pune, where she was diagnosed with ALCAPA. The child was operated at the HN Reliance Hospital.
Chief of paediatric intensive care, Dr Amish Vora, told TOI, “The child’s heart was weak after surgery and needed all medicines and dialysis for three days. She has now been taken off artificial support.”
It is reported that the child will lead a healthy and normal life. She is likely to be discharged in two to three days.
