Mangalore, November 6: An 18-year-old girl with a birth defect of the aorta, a major artery in the human body, successfully underwent a corrective surgery at Unity Health Complex in Mangalore last month.
Speaking at a press conference held on Monday, senior cardiologist Dr Paul Varghese said that the three-hour surgery was performed out by the cardiac team headed by him and the anaesthetic team led by Dr Chethana Anand on October 14.
The aorta defect caused high uncontrollable blood pressure and pain in both legs even with mild effort. Post-surgery, the blood pressure returned to normal and the girl was discharged without any medications on the third day, he said.
He said that the procedure had been done percutaneously (via needle-puncture of the skin), thereby leaving no outward scars on the body, which was important considering that the girl was of marriageable age. The surgery costing Rs 1.2 lakh was performed at a subsidised rate as part of a camp for patients with birth defects of the heart by Unity Hospital, said Mr Varghese.
The defect occurred due to severe coarctation of the aorta, a condition whereby there is a narrowing or constriction of the major artery which can affect the body's blood circulation.
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