Gurugram (Haryana) [India], February 13 (ANI): A 14-year-old child from Uzbekistan, Dilshod, who had been living with dilated cardiomyopathy for nearly a decade, has made a remarkable recovery after receiving a mechanical heart device in India. Dilated cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes severely weakened, making it difficult to pump blood efficiently and eventually leading to life-threatening heart failure.
Dilshod has now become the first child to be discharged in northern India after receiving a Mechanical Heart — a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). He is also the youngest recipient of an LVAD in India. The pioneering surgery was performed at the Department of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery at Artemis Hospital.
Over the past year, Dilshod’s condition had progressively worsened. Advanced heart failure severely limited his ability to perform simple daily activities—walking short distances or even getting out of bed left him breathless. Every few weeks, he required hospitalisation in the ICU to stabilise his condition.
As no treatment options were available for his end-stage heart failure in his home country, doctors advised the family to either seek care at an advanced medical centre abroad or prepare for an unfortunate outcome. About two months ago, his parents brought him to Artemis Hospital, where he was placed on the waiting list for a paediatric heart transplant.
However, his condition continued to deteriorate. Over the past two months, Dilshod was admitted four times to the Paediatric Cardiac ICU due to heart failure. During one admission, he suffered cardiogenic shock, causing vital organs such as the liver and kidneys to begin failing because his heart could not pump enough blood.
Doctors concluded that he was unlikely to survive the long wait required for a suitable donor heart. After detailed discussions with the family, the paediatric cardiac surgery team decided to pursue an unprecedented option for a child of his age in India—implantation of an artificial heart pump (LVAD) to save his life.
The complex surgery involved connecting the mechanical heart pump to the left ventricle—the heart’s main pumping chamber—and attaching the outflow to the aorta, which supplies blood to the body. The device is compact enough to sit inside the chest and is connected to a computerised controller and battery via a small wire exiting the skin.
Once the device was activated, it immediately began pumping blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body. Within days of surgery in the Paediatric Cardiac ICU, Dilshod’s organ functions began to recover.
Following surgery, he made an extraordinary recovery. Previously confined to bed, he is now able to walk, climb stairs, and has been discharged from the hospital. He is expected to return to Uzbekistan soon, resume school, and play—carrying with him a controller and battery that serve as a reminder of his strength and resilience through this life-threatening illness.
Commenting on the procedure, Dr Aseem R Srivastava, Chief Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon, said,
“This surgery was one of the most challenging procedures we have undertaken. While it is a significant surgical milestone, it is by no means an individual achievement. This outcome was possible only because of extraordinary teamwork across the hospital.”
He thanked teams from the Paediatric Cardiac ICU, Paediatric Cardiology, Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthesia, perfusionists, nurses, physiotherapists, biomedical engineers, and hospital administration for their round-the-clock commitment.
Medical experts note that implanting a paediatric LVAD is particularly challenging due to the child’s small size, prolonged heart disease, and the need for intensive long-term care. This case highlights how timely clinical decisions, multidisciplinary coordination, and advanced medical technology can dramatically change outcomes for children with life-threatening heart failure. (ANI)
602 words, 3 minutes read time.
About The Author
