Screening at birth a mandate to treat CHD, say doctors

Staying that congenital heart diseases affect six in every 1000 children in our country, Dr Murugan Ramesh, cardiologist, said, “CHD occurs due to a defect in the formation of the heart. Avoiding agents that are likely to interfere with organ formation in the foetus is important to lower the risk of the disease.”

It is not always possible to determine the cause of congenital heart diseases, but most tend to be genetic and is passed down through families. “Not only is it entirely preventable as most cases happen in mothers with no risk factors, but with timely diagnosis and the right treatment, children with congenital heart defects can lead active, productive lives,” he added.

While the symptoms in new borns are identified at birth, there are cases wherein some babies are discharged without their symptoms being identified. “It is therefore essential for all hospitals - in the private as well as the public sector – to screen the babies before discharge. Only if such steps are taken, we can reduce the Infant Mortality Rate in our state by doing heart transplants immediately,” he stressed.

Besides, he said, “Children from families belonging to lower income backgrounds, street children and the like, find it very difficult to afford transplants. Steps should be taken to ensure that transplants are easily available to all.”

Stating that a lot of underprivileged children requiring cardiac surgery and rehabilitation owing to the rise in complications during recent years, Dr K R Balakrishnan, Cardiac Sciences and chief Cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon, Fortis Malar Hospital said, “It is also important to spread awareness among people on CHD and support children with severe heart ailments. With new technology arising in the field of medical care, it is important to make this accessible to common man in the need of the hour.”

Tamil Nadu leads the count in organ donation because of the excellent initiatives of the Government of Tamil Nadu. However, affordability of the operation is always a problem since the costs are exceptionally high.

Chitra Viswanathan, Trustee, Aishwarya Trust – which funds heart transplants for children with the disease – said, “Every year thousands of children are born with severe congenital heart defects in India. We aim to bring down infant mortality rate through screening and early detection.”