Jaipur: JK Lon Hospital, the state’s largest govt-run child specialty hospital, will soon perform cardiac surgeries for children with the establishment of a separate paediatric cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (CTVS) department.Currently, children undergo cardiac surgeries at SMS Hospital. “It will be the first CTVS department for paediatrics in the state’s govt hospitals. It will include a separate operation theatre, cath lab, ICU and dedicated doctors,” said Dr Deepak Maheshwari, principal and controller, Sawai Man Singh Medical College.Maheshwari added, “The doctors who have been conducting paediatric heart surgeries at SMS Hospital will be assigned to the CTVS department at JK Lon Hospital.”According to JK Lon Hospital officials, atrial septal defect (ASD) is one of the most common heart defects in children and necessitates surgical treatment. Furthermore, infections can weaken the heart valves of children, requiring surgery. Numerous congenital heart ailments affecting the arteries of the heart also require surgical intervention in children. In ASD, a child’s heart possesses an abnormal opening in the septum that divides the upper chambers (atria) of the heart.Early detection of birth defects, including congenital heart defects and diseases such as rheumatic heart disease, is conducted through clinical screening of all children aged 0-18 years. Provisions have also been established for early intervention and management, including surgical procedures.
