13-yr-old boy gets life-saving pacemaker from KIMS Anantapur

ANANTAPUR: A 13-year-old boy, who passed out in class, was saved by the doctors at Anantapur's KIMS Saveera Hospital. The child was taken to the hospital after his blood pressure and heart rate dropped to 30 beats per minute.

Gautam, a 13-year-old boy hailing from Kanekal mandal of Anantapur district, fell unconscious in his school. He was immediately brought to the RDT hospital for ECG and other basic tests. Normally, the heart rate should be at least 60-70 beats per minute. The boy had only 30 beats per minute.

"As soon as Gautam was brought to us, we noticed his condition and installed a temporary pacemaker in the ICU besides performing additional tests," said senior interventional cardiologist Dr Moode Sandeep, who successfully treated Gautam.

"He was born with a heart that did not have a functioning conduction system and also had a little hole. The conduction system regulates the rate at which the heart beats. In its absence, concerns such as not being fast enough or having a very high speed arise. Every time our hearts beat, electrical messages pass through them. The heart merely contracts and expands because of that system," Dr Sandeep added.

"This boy's heartbeats were only 30 times per minute due to the lack of a proper conduction system," he noted, adding: "Taking this into consideration, we implanted a pacemaker in the boy. If the heart beats less than 60 times per minute, it detects and sends electric impulses quickly. The procedure was done for free under the Aarogyasri scheme."

Dr Sandeep said, "This quickens the heart rate. The patient will have to be on a pacemaker throughout his life. Nonetheless, his everyday life will be unaffected. He can eat whatever he wants and play. The battery, however, will run out after around 15 years and must be replaced. Medical examinations should also be performed on a regular basis."

He further said: "Gautam was discharged and sent home because his heart was beating normally and he recovered completely. This is the first time that a pacemaker has been implanted in a child. Knowing about this case, the state health ministry has sought details about the child. In recent years, there have been a few such instances of young children receiving pacemaker support.”

Parents and teachers, according to Dr Moode Sandeep, must constantly monitor their children and address any minor concerns as soon as possible.

Gautam's parents expressed gratitude to the KIMS management and Dr Sandeep for providing free treatment to their son.