KGMU doctors perform complex c-section on 26-year-old woman suffering from Eisenmenger syndrome

This was the third successful surgery of its kind, out of four cases in the past two years.

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Doctors claimed it is the highest survival rate for pregnant women with ES, a rare illness, among government hospitals in the country.

Seven out of every 1 lakh adults might have this condition. The chances of survival are quite low and 65-70 per cent pregnancy can make ES even worse. Doctors from WHO suggest that women with this condition should not get pregnant.

Pregnant woman Nilima came from Gorakhpur to KGMU's Queen Mary's Hospital last week.

She was in the last trimester of her pregnancy and had trouble in breathing and experiencing palpitations.

The doctors diagnosed she had a heart condition, Tetralogy of Fallot, which often occurs in ES cases.

It is a combination of four different heart defects from birth - a hole between the heart chambers; a narrowed pulmonary valve; an artery in the wrong place, and the heart's right pumping chamber becoming thicker than usual. Due to this, her heart was only able to pump oxygen-rich blood at a rate of 25 per cent, causing problems.

Under the leadership of Prof SP Jaiswal, a team of experts from the anaesthesia and critical care department and the obstetric department took immediate action.

Dr Shashank Kanaujia and his team performed a high-stakes anaesthesia procedure and the surgical team, led by Prof Anjoo Agrawal and Dr Mona Bajaj, executed a successful C-section, ensuring the survival of both mother and child.

Subsequent care at the Trauma Ventilatory Unit (TVU) was given by Dr Zia Arshad and his team, further contributing to their recovery. Finally, the patient and baby were discharged from hospital earlier this week.

Officials said the anaesthesia and critical care department has achieved three consecutive patient survivals over the past two years, setting an international benchmark. The specific technique employed in these cases, pioneered by cardiac anaesthetist Dr Karan Kaushik and his team, played a pivotal role in the successes.

As per the technique, special arrangements are made to give anaesthesia catheters inserted in primary veins of the heart to administer drugs directly into the heart.

Besides, high doses of drugs to increase blood pressure during surgery were injected as BP goes down in effect of anaesthetics, said Dr Kaushik.

KGMU vice chancellor Prof Soniya Nityanand congratulated the team for their success. "KGMU’s achievement stands as a testament to medical prowess and dedication, making strides toward rewriting the narrative of ES and offering optimism to those affected," she said.