Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery Cost in Mumbai

Children with ventral septal defect, generally face

• Congestive heart failure (CHF)
• Growth failure
• Face progressive aortic insufficiency ( a case in which the aorta is unable to close effectively)
• Have Endocarditis (swollen endocardium, which is the inner most tissue lining the chamber of the heart)
• Progressive enlargement of the left ventricle or faulty functioning of the left ventricle
• Pulmonary Vascular Disease (affecting the blood vessels of the lungs)

Before surgery, all the imaging studies done are reviewed to get a clear idea of the defects involved in the heart. Prior to the surgery the CHF is brought under control and the overall condition of the patients is reviewed.

Intra Cardiac procedure is primarily an open heart surgery, done under general anaesthesia. The process involves:

• An incision is made in the chest and the problem area is located.
• The doctor then places a special patch which effectively covers the hole. A heart-lung bypass machine is used to support the patient.

Transcatheter procedure for treating VSD involves the insertion of a catheter into the body through the groin, which then reaches the heart’s septum (wall dividing the left and right sides of the heart).

• A device is used to block the hole in the wall of the heart. Once it is secured, the catheter is then taken out from the body.
• Echocardiography (use of sound waves to create a moving image of the heart), transoesophageal echo (uses high frequency sound waves to create detail heart images) and even angiography (uses dye and x-rays to highlight coronary arteries) are used to help the doctor guide the catheter when it is inside.

In most cases, the recovery is rapid after the surgery. Within the first or second day post-surgery, the patient is transferred from intensive care (ICU) to general care.

Postoperative diuretic therapy (drug therapy) is offered to bring down intravascular volume to normal levels. Functioning of the left atrial (one out of 4 heart chambers) and pulmonary artery (artery which carries blood from the heart to the lungs) is monitored. In case the patient suffers high blood pressure in arteries of the lung, sedatives are continued.

Generally, the patient is discharged after 4 to 7 days. Long-term results for VSD surgery are highly positive, and infants are seen to fully recover in a span of a year or two.

The complications of VSD surgery involve

• Bleeding after surgery
• Infection
• Injury of the tricuspid, pulmonary or aortic valve
• Rise in pulmonary hypertension
• Heart block - affects about 1% of the children who have undergone VSD surgery