Pre-term newborn undergoes life-saving cardiac procedure within 40 minutes of birth in Delhi

Delhi: In a remarkable medical intervention, doctors at Fortis Escorts Hospital in Okhla carried out a minimally invasive cardiac procedure on a pre-term newborn within 40 minutes of birth, successfully restoring the baby’s heart function in a case doctors described as one of the most challenging fetal cardiac conditions they had encountered.

The case began weeks earlier when the parents, during the 30th week of pregnancy, were informed through a foetal ultrasound at a city hospital that their unborn child had a critically narrowed heart valve, severely weakened heart muscle and fluid build-up around the heart—conditions associated with a poor prognosis.

Despite the risks, a multidisciplinary team at Fortis Escorts Okhla, led by Dr Neeraj Awasthy, Director of Paediatric Cardiology, decided to closely monitor the pregnancy and prepare for immediate intervention after birth.

At 31 weeks, the baby was delivered via caesarean section at the city hospital. Within 15 minutes of the birth, a medical team from Fortis Escorts reached the hospital, intubated the baby and stabilised the condition before proceeding with further treatment.

Using ultrasound-guided vascular access, the doctors performed a balloon aortic valvotomy—a minimally invasive procedure used to treat a narrowed aortic valve—within 40 minutes of birth, well within the critical “golden hour”.

Post-procedure echocardiography showed that the aortic valve had opened successfully and the heart function had improved significantly.

“This was one of the most challenging fetal cardiac cases we have encountered, given the severity of heart valve narrowing, muscle damage and fluid overload,” said Dr Neeraj Awasthy. “The key to success was early planning, rapid execution and coordination across teams. Intervening within the golden hour made all the difference in restoring the heart’s function and giving the child a real chance at life.”

After the procedure, the pre-term newborn was shifted back to the neonatal nursery where the medical team focused on stabilisation and weight gain.

Over the following days, the baby showed steady improvement and was eventually discharged from the hospital with the parents.

Dr Vikram Aggarwal, Facility Director at Fortis Escorts Okhla, said the case highlighted the importance of teamwork and preparedness in handling complex neonatal emergencies.

“Saving a life within minutes of birth requires not just advanced technology but also seamless coordination across departments,” he said. “We are proud of our teams who worked together to give this child a second chance at life.”

The baby’s mother expressed gratitude to the medical team, recalling the weeks of uncertainty after learning about the baby’s condition.

“Hearing about our baby’s health was devastating and we lived every day with fear,” she said. “Seeing our child survive such a critical procedure minutes after birth feels nothing short of a miracle for our family.”