Santosh Prabhu, Divisional VP, Global Product Development, Abbott-Structural Heart explains that as babies, especially premature and newborns, are fragile, some even not weighing one kilogram at the time of birth, PDA can be a challenging condition to treat. However, with the advent of technological advances, many babies with PDA have a fighting chance
There’s no limit to the potential a life holds. Every child deserves to explore the endless possibilities the world has to offer, to live life to their heart’s content. But what happens when the heart itself doesn’t work as it should, and needs a little extra help? Did you know, every baby is born with a hole in their heart? This blood vessel is known as the ductus arteriosus. It allows them to receive oxygen-rich blood from their mother while in the womb. After birth, the hole should naturally close over the first few days of their life, letting the lungs and heart take over. But for thousands of babies each year, the hole doesn’t close properly.
This condition known as a PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) and can inhibit their growth and can be life-threatening to an already fragile life. Every year, over 2,00,000 premature babies in India are born with congenital heart defects that require early intervention to survive the first years of their lives. PDA constitutes up to five to ten percent of all congenital heart defects. To solve significant challenges for newborn babies, health tech innovators need to think small, effective, and minimal.
Closing a hole in the most fragile hearts
Caring for little kids with heart conditions can be hard. And that’s why we’re committed to the research, design and development of interventional cardiology solutions for pediatric patients worldwide.
The treatment of heart defects depends on the type and severity of the disease. Some heart defects get better over time and need not be treated at all. In some cases, though, primarily in premature babies, the opening or ductus arteriosus does not close spontaneously, making it difficult for babies to breathe normally because of the increased blood flow to the lungs.
As babies, especially premature and newborns, are fragile, some even not weighing one kilogram at the time of birth, PDA can be a challenging condition to treat. However, with the advent of technological advances, many babies with PDA have a fighting chance. A minimally invasive, transcatheter occlusion device, smaller in size than a pea now offers hope to premature infants and newborns who need a corrective procedure. This novel technology is highly beneficial for many infants who may not be responsive to medicine and are unable to undergo a corrective open-heart surgery. The device is inserted through a small incision in the leg and taken through the ductus to seal the heart-opening. Because the device is deployed in a minimally invasive procedure, babies recover faster.
Innovation is the key
It’s gratifying to know that these children have a fighting chance at normal everyday life through the advancement of such innovative devices. Life-changing technologies help people, including vulnerable infants, live better lives. This device is one of the smallest heart devices designed to help infants weighing as little as 700 grams.
There are other advancements too such as 3D printing of heart models for surgical planning that have improved the management of congenital heart defects in children. And then there are better imaging techniques for accurate diagnosis, the understanding of the normal and pathological inner structures of the heart for planning interventions.
Minimally invasive, catheter-based therapies are transforming the way care is delivered and have become more commonplace due to improvements in catheter and imaging technologies. These innovations in pediatric care are helping doctors with new treatment options and changing the standard of care for the smallest of patients, giving them a chance to explore a lifetime of possibility by correcting the tiniest defect in their heart.
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