Amar, a six-month-old orphan, was born with a heart defect known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). This condition caused an abnormal flow between two of the major arteries connected to the heart, putting strain on the heart and increasing pressure in the lungs. Amar had difficulty breathing, poor weight, and poor activity.
Dr. Gananjay Salve, an Australian-trained Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon, performed a two-hour-long surgery to correct the PDA. The procedure involved ligation (tying) the PDA under controlled hypotension (low BP) through a left chest approach. Amar withstood the surgery very well and was discharged from the hospital.
Dr. Gananjay warned that if left untreated, PDA may lead to long-term lung damage and damage to the vessels in the lungs, although this is not common as most children are treated for their PDA before any damage occurs.
The ambitious Gift of Life program of the Rotary Foundation funded the surgery for Amar, the sixth child to be funded by the foundation. Dr. Manisha Bhandankar, Dr. Veeresh Manvi, Dr. Nidhi Manvi Goel, Dr. Anand Vagrali, Dr. Col. Dayanand, and Dr. Richard Saldanha were all involved in the successful outcome of the surgery.
Dr. Prabhakar Kore, Chairman of KLE Society Belagavi, congratulated the team of doctors for their successful outcome and thanked the Rotary Foundation for their generous contributions in saving the precious life of an orphan.