AIIMS doctors perform complex surgery on grape size heart of foetus in mother's womb

"A team of interventional cardiologists along with doctors from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AIIMS performed the procedure termed balloon dilation in the obstructed valve of the heart.  Under the procedure which was performed under the guidance of ultrasound, a needle was inserted in the heart of the foetus and then using a balloon catheter, the obstructed valve was unclogged," a senior doctor said.

"The whole procedure had to be done very swiftly. It was very challenging. We managed to do it in around one-and-half minutes," the doctor added.

"With this reshaping procedure, hopefully the foetus’ heart will develop better. Both the foetus and the mother are stable and are being monitored closely,” the doctor added.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the team and prayed for the well being of mother and the baby.

According to the team of doctors from Department of Cardiology & Cardiac Anesthesia, along with Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology (Fetal medicine) of AIIMS, "The foetus and the mother are both doing well after the procedure. The teams of doctors are monitoring the growth of the heart chambers to ultimately determine the baby's future management."

"Some types of serious heart diseases can be diagnosed while the baby is in the mother's womb. Sometimes, treating them in the womb may improve the outlook for the baby after birth and lead to near normal development," the team further said.