Gurugram, May 2025 – Artemis Hospitals recently performed a highly complex, life saving open heart surgery called an arterial switch operation on a newborn who weighed only 1.5 kg and had transposition of the great arteries, a rare congenital heart defect that is deadly if not treated immediately after birth. This means that the baby is one of the smallest known babies in India to have had this complicated surgery and survived.
Transposition of the Great Arteries is a serious cardiac condition that occurs when the pulmonary artery and the aorta connect to the wrong sides of the heart. This causes blood with very little oxygen to flow through the body and blood with lots of oxygen to flow back to the lungs. The condition is almost always fatal within the first month of life unless treated quickly by surgery.
Dr. Aseem R. Srivastava, Chief of Pediatric CTVS at Artemis Hospitals , led the team that performed an arterial switch operation on the baby, who was only two weeks old.
Dr. Srivastava said, “What made this case so unusual was that the baby was born one month premature, weighed only 1.535 kg, and involved operating on a heart that was no bigger than a walnut. Also, the coronary arteries, which are only one or 2 millimeters in size, must also be carefully moved, surgically.
It was a race against time. I can proudly say that this was not just a surgery; it was a miracle that happened because of the hard work of a great team. The result confirms what we all know; no challenge is too big when kindness and clinical excellence come together.” It is very rare and extremely difficult to operate on such a small newborn anywhere in the world.
Pediatric Cardiac Intensivists, Pediatric cardiac surgeons, Pediatric cardiologists, Pediatric Cardiac anesthetist, all worked together perfectly to make this groundbreaking surgery successful. The greatest challenge was to manage complications after surgery- The ICU team did an outstanding job in caring for a preterm, underweight baby recovering from a major open heart surgery- in infection prevention, managing low heart function and renal failure (by dialysis), which is a very difficult job in such a small baby.
Upon discovering the complexity and rarity of the case, the family placed their utmost trust in the Artemis team, since before birth. The baby was diagnosed during pregnancy at Artemis Hospital, born and treated at Artemis Hospital, and is now home, recovering very well from surgery.
Artemis Hospitals has once again shown that it is the best at treating children with heart problems by successfully treating one of India’s smallest babies with a rare congenital heart defect.
This historic surgery not only shows off the hospital’s cutting-edge facilities and world-class surgical skills, but it also strengthens its position as a national leader in heart surgery for newborns. Artemis still gives people hope in the most difficult and sensitive cases thanks to its cutting-edge technology and highly trained staff