First time in the country's govt sector, Delhi Army Hospital performs critical implantation on youngest patient

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New Delhi: The AFMS (Armed Forces Medical Services) recently conducted a successful non-surgical transcatheter implantation of a cardiac (Pulmonary) valve on an 8-year-old girl weighing only 28 kilograms. She is the youngest and smallest child in the country to undergo this non-surgical valve implantation, specifically in the government sector.

This remarkable milestone was achieved when the Paediatric Cardiology team at Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in New Delhi performed this procedure on two children with congenital heart defects. This procedure involved making a small incision in the groin.

This complex advanced intervention took place under the leadership of Lt Gen Daljit Singh, DGAFMS, the most senior serving paediatrician in the Armed Forces at present. The procedure was guided by Lt Gen Arindam Chatterjee, DGMS (Army), and Lt Gen Ajith Nilakantan, Commandant of Army Hospital (R&R).

Over the past year, the team has performed a total of 13 pulmonary valve implantation cases, which is the highest number among the two government institutes in the country that have conducted such procedures.

Before the introduction of this procedure within AFMS by the Army Hospital (R&R) team on October 7, 2022, the replacement of the cardiac (pulmonary) valve required open-heart bypass surgery.

This traditional approach was not only highly painful and burdensome but also carried significant risks of morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospitalisation. In contrast, the novel non-surgical procedure allows patients to be discharged within 2-3 days following the intervention, without any visible scarring.

The introduction of this groundbreaking, highly specialised non-surgical intervention in the Armed Forces and the government sector has revolutionised the field and created new opportunities for many children in need of valve replacement, offering them a significantly improved quality of life.

This represents a significant leap forward in providing advanced cardiac care for children and marks a new era for both AFMS and other government hospitals in the country, elevating them to a higher standard of care.