Infant measuring the size of a person's palm survives heart surgery

Udaipur: Premature deliveries can put children at risk and can result in tragedy as infant mortality rates in India has been a cause for concern for a while. But there are always cases when infants fight for survival even in the face of adverse conditions.

Born weighing less than a kilogram in just 28 weeks, a baby yet to be named struggled against a condition that prevented breathing and emerged victorious. As the baby’s eyes, lungs and skin are still underdeveloped and too fragile to even touch, the surgery is a milestone as the child is the smallest infant to survive such a procedure.

Major blood vessels of the baby’s heart were connected causing breathing issues, and doctors performed the surgery two weeks after the birth since the medicines didn’t seem to have much effect. The surgery was a challenge as the baby is just 470 grams and is the size of a person’s palm.

The surgery was carried out at an intensive care unit as the baby was too delicate to be moved and special miniature instruments were used to carry out the surgery which the doctors went ahead with despite multiple risks involved.

The child’s arrival in the world may be earlier than expected, but it’s marked with extraordinary courage and bravery to survive against all odds.