True Story: How A 50-Year-Old Woman With Acute Heart Attack and Hole in The Heart Got Saved?

Imagine how sensitive would someone be with a hole in the heart. And when the same person suffers an acute heart attack, what do you think are the chances of survival? You have guessed it right, the probability is very low. But with the right treatment, it is possible to save the life of the patient. Let us tell you the true story of a 50 YO woman who had a hole in her heart and later suffered an acute heart attack. With the higher risk to life, know how doctors saved her life.

Story of a female with hole in heart

In a first of its kind successful treatment for a rare heart condition in the region of Noida and Greater Noida, doctors at Yatharth Hospital Greater Noida endured a new lease of life to a 50-year-old female patient.

After suffering from a massive Acute Anterior wall Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) she was taken to a local hospital in Meerut, where she was diagnosed with the most dreaded complication of Acute Heart attack with a mortality risk of 50%. With very low chances of survival, she was then referred to Yatharth Hospital. Admitted as a case of severe heart attack with Apical Ventricular Septal Rupture (hole in the lower chamber of the heart), she was immediately attended by the emergency team and medically stabilized.

Rare Heart Surgery Saved The Woman’s Life

“Since the patient came to us after 12 days of MI, her condition had already worsened and the chances of her survival even after surgery seemed to go below 30%. In such a condition where possibilities of organ failure were very high, her family was counselled about the complications and risk involved in the surgery for which they agreed to proceed.” Said Dr. Pankaj Ranjan, HOD Cardiology at Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital, Greater Noida.

“Without any further delay, the team deftly dealt with such a critical case and successfully performed the region’s first bypass surgery with ventricular septal rupture repair. The patient received one graft and closure of VSD with Left Ventricular Aneurysm repair using Dacron Patch and was discharged on the 7th day postoperatively. The patient is doing completely fine and we are as happy as her family to have given a new lease of life to her.” Said Dr. Akhil Kumar Rustagi, Head, Cardiac Sciences and CTVS, Yatharth Super Specialty Hospital, Greater Noida. 

Also Read: Eat These 5 Foods To Clear Artery Blockage and Prevent Heart Attack

Also Read: Cardiac Resynchronised Therapy Is Life-Saver for Arrhythmia Patients, Read Details

Complications in the treatment of hole in heart

Though cases of heart attacks during winters are very common, leading to acute heart failure along with ventricular septal rupture are very rare and difficult to treat as the involved mortality risk goes above 70-80%. Since the tissues are very fragile post-MI, and the procedure being a very complex one, requiring high expertise, the team of doctors took all precautionary measures to save her life.

“In such cases following a heart attack the patients are under a state of shock which raises the chances of death by up to 90%, where prompt diagnosis and definitive surgery is the key to revival. Even though the case was challenging and associated with high mortality, the experts involved in the procedure took up the challenge and successfully revived the patient even in the most unfavourable conditions”, added Dr. Arun Sharma, Head at Cardiac Anaesthesia and critical care, Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital, Greater Noida.

Causes of Hole In The Heart

Let us tell you the possible reasons what leads to a hole in the heart:

• Genetic disorder: If any of the parents had a congenital heart defect, the chances that the child may also get a septal defect are high. However, in most cases, only one child would get this defect. 
• Hereditary disorder: If the child has a hereditary disorder, the possibility of them having a heart defect is high.
• Smoking: Smoking is a strict NO during pregnancy because it increases the risk of the child being born with congenital heart defects like atrial septal defect(ASD) and ventricular septal defect(VSD).

Conclusion

This story is a fine example of how timely medical intervention and getting treated from the right or experienced team of doctors can save the life no matter how many complications there may be. Considering the age of the woman and her cardiovascular condition, it was no easy for the doctors to save her life but they did it and now the 50-year-old lady is living a normal life. In a nutshell, if you experience any unusual symptom that could be of an underlying problem, consult a doctor immediately. This helps in timely diagnosis and treatment. Never delay as it could cause severe complications.

Read More in Heart Health