6-year-old undergoes life-saving heart surgery

A six-year-old girl suffering from a rare and complex congenital heart condition has successfully undergone a critical life-saving surgery at the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, doctors said on Tuesday.

The child, identified as Kanishka, was born with single ventricle physiology along with multiple complications, including ccTGA, non-routable ventricular septal defect, and pulmonary atresia. These conditions affect normal blood flow through the heart and require staged surgical treatment over time.

Doctors said the latest procedure performed was the Fontan surgery, which is considered the final stage of treatment for patients with single ventricle physiology. The surgery was conducted after the child showed signs of worsening health, including severe cyanosis and breathlessness during physical activity. Her oxygen saturation levels had dropped to nearly 70 per cent before the intervention.

According to the medical team, Kanishka had earlier undergone the first stage of treatment in 2020 through a Bidirectional Glenn procedure.