AIIMS Doctors Perform Surgery On Foetus' Grape-Sized Heart In Mother's Womb

Image used for representation purposes only.

(Photo: PTI)

A team of doctors at AIIMS in Delhi successfully performed a complex surgery on a 'grape-size' heart of a foetus, and reshaped it inside the womb of a 28-year-old woman. The entire procedure was performed in just 90 seconds.

The Big Points:

• They performed a process is called balloon dilation in the obstructed valve of the heart.

• In the procedure, performed under the guidance of ultrasound, a needle was inserted in the heart of the foetus and then, using a balloon catheter.

• This made sure that the obstructed valve was unclogged.

• A team of interventional cardiologists along with doctors from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AIIMS performed the procedure.

What Was Said?

• "Some types of serious heart diseases can be diagnosed while the baby is in the mother's womb. Sometimes, treating them in the womb may improve the outlook for the baby after birth and lead to near normal development," a senior doctor, involved in the surgery, told news agency ANI.

• "The whole procedure had to be done very swiftly. It was very challenging. We managed to do it in around one-and-half minutes," another doctor told PTI.

• "With this reshaping procedure, hopefully the foetus' heart will develop better. Both the foetus and the mother are stable and are being monitored closely," the doctor added.