Kashmir Impulse Desk

Jammu, June 8

The Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (CVTS) at the Super Speciality Hospital, Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, is performing open-heart surgeries on children born with congenital heart defects under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, senior doctors said on Sunday.

According to Dr Shyam Singh, Head of the CVTS Department, the hospital has successfully treated children suffering from a range of congenital cardiac conditions, including patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), coarctation of the aorta, atrial septal defects (ASD), ventricular septal defects (VSD), anomalous pulmonary venous drainage and complex conditions such as Tetralogy of Fallot.

The patients treated so far have ranged in age from one to 18 years and have come from various districts across Jammu and Kashmir.

“Many children are brought for treatment at a late stage because families are unable to afford costly surgeries. With the Ayushman Bharat scheme, parents no longer have to bear out-of-pocket expenses, allowing earlier intervention and treatment,” Singh said.

He said congenital heart patients often require extensive pre-operative assessment because some may also have associated genetic abnormalities.

The department is also carrying out selected procedures through minimally invasive approaches involving small incisions on the right side of the chest, he added.

“The heart tissues in children are delicate and require meticulous repair. Their lower blood volume also demands special care while using the heart-lung machine during surgery,” Singh said.

Dr Puja Vimesh, Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology, said paediatric cardiac anaesthesia remained one of the most challenging areas of the specialty due to the physiological vulnerability of young patients.

“Managing a child through open-heart surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass and the immediate recovery period requires close coordination between anaesthesia, surgical and perfusion teams,” she said.

Hospital officials said the programme is being supported through the coordinated efforts of the CVTS, cardiac anaesthesia, perfusion and critical care nursing teams, with administrative support from Medical Superintendent Dr Rehana Khurshid.

Doctors cited the recent treatment of a seven-year-old boy from Poonch who was suffering from breathlessness and recurrent chest infections due to a large ventricular septal defect, a hole between the lower chambers of the heart.

The condition had caused excessive blood flow to the lungs, resulting in breathing difficulties and heart failure symptoms.

The child underwent corrective open-heart surgery on May 18 after pre-operative stabilisation. The defect was repaired using a patch under cardiopulmonary bypass, and the patient recovered without complications before being discharged, doctors said.

Medical specialists said the availability of congenital cardiac surgery services at a government hospital in Jammu and Kashmir would reduce the need for families to travel outside the Union Territory for treatment.

They said eligible patients can now access advanced paediatric cardiac care locally under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, easing both financial and logistical burdens on families.

Doctors added that the successful treatment reflected ongoing efforts to expand specialised healthcare services within Jammu and Kashmir and improve access to life-saving procedures for children with congenital heart disease.