Nagpur, August 4, 2025: At the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital (AVBRH), Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha, a rare congenital heart defect in a 12-year-old boy was successfully treated through a minimally invasive stenting procedure. This method completely eliminated the need for conventional open-heart surgery.
The boy was diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)located at the junction of the Superior Vena Cava (SVC – the large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper part of the body, i.e., head, neck, and arms, to the heart) and the Right Atrium (the upper right chamber of the heart where blood from the body first collects before moving to the next chamber). This is an extremely rare type of condition, particularly in pediatric patients, and adopting the stenting method in such cases is even rarer.
On the occasion, Prof. Dr. Gajendra Agrawal, Head of the Cardiology Department at AVBRH, Wardha, said:"Transcatheter closure of SVC defect with PAPVC is transforming the treatment approach for rare congenital heart diseases in children. With appropriate patient selection and advanced technology, we can now offer a safe, minimally invasive alternative – resulting in significantly improved outcomes and quality of life for patients."
The AVBRH Wardha cath lab cardiology team—Dr. Akash Lokhande, Dr. Harshal Pawade, Dr. Chetan Rathi, Dr. Vaibhav Raut, and Dr. Vaibhav Mahale—played a crucial role in this treatment. Their combined expertise, dedication, and meticulous planning ensured the procedure was both successful and safe.
Key Highlights of the Procedure:
• Utilization of advanced multimodality imaging to confirm patient eligibility.
• Meticulous planning of every step of the intervention, prioritizing patient safety above all.
• Adoption of the transcatheter closure technique – a modern, minimally invasive method that avoids major surgery and enables faster recovery.
Six months post-procedure, the child is completely healthy, living a happy life without any symptoms or complications.
This successful treatment is a testament to the skill and innovative approach of AVBRH’s cardiologists. Overcoming such complex congenital heart defects in children marks a significant milestone, further strengthening the hospital’s reputation as a leading center of excellence in interventional pediatric cardiology.
