MUMBAI: Navnath Kale, a 34-year-old driver from Kalyan, never thought his eight-year-old son would ever be able to walk a 100-metre stretch without feeling breathless. Mahesh, Kale's middle son, was born with such a malformed heart that one of the four chambers was virtually non-existent. Every exertion or a few steps left him gasping for air, turning his fingers blue."Due to the structural abnormality, blood was unable to reach the lungs and Mahesh would appear blue," said paediatric heart surgeon Dr Vijay Agarwal . The doctors at Fortis Hospital Mulund , performed a three-procedure-in-a-month treatment for Mahesh, thanks to funding from the NGO Being Human.Incidentally, on Wednesday, the hospital got promise of funding from the Chief Minister's Fund for 200 paediatric heart procedures in the next few months. In February itself, 20 children with congenital heart diseases will undergo operation in the hospital through the CM's Fund."Mahesh underwent a hybrid approach, which needed both surgeons and cardiologists, that was perhaps done for the first time in India to cut down recovery time and complications," said cardiologist Dr Hasmukh Ravat.On December 30, 2016, Dr Agarwal opened Mahesh's heart to prepare bypasses: first, a vein called the superior vena cava was directly connected to the lung artery. In the same session, another vein called the inferior vena cava was also connected to the lung artery, but with a flap or a cover. "The cover was necessary because patients don't tolerate both the procedures done in one stage," said Dr Agarwal. At the same time, the child was able to undergo two major procedures in one session."Mahesh stayed in the hospital for three weeks before he was taken to the cath lab to place a customised stent in the tube by rupturing the membrane or cover," said Dr Ravat. The doctor said Mahesh didn't need blood transfusions or repeated hospitals. Dr Suresh Rao, a senior paediatric surgeon, said children with complex congenital heart problems would need several procedures over years. "Such hybrid procedures aren't widely practised or preferred," he added. But for Navnath Kale, the sight of Mahesh playing with his brothers is priceless.

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