The 55-day-old baby underwent a rare heart disorder surgery at Command Hospital in Chandimandir. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 14

The Command Hospital, Chandimandir, has undertaken a rare surgical procedure, successfully operating on a 55-day-old extreme preterm and low weight male baby, who was affected by patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).The PDA is a heart condition where a key blood vessel does not close soon after birth as required, resulting in irregular transmission of blood, increased breathing effort and poor weight gain.The procedure was performed in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) under the guidance of a team, led by the hospital commandant, Maj Gen Mukti Sharma, herself an eminent paediatric cardiologist.The baby has made an excellent recovery and has started gaining weight, according to a statement issued here today. The baby had been on ventilator.The PDA is present in all babies before birth and the mother’s placenta provides oxygen to a baby. After birth, lungs expand and the PDA closes spontaneously in the first few days of life in most babies.Most babies with a hemodynamically significant PDA are managed medically, with surgery reserved for those that fail medical management.