16 Mar 2023 • A team of doctors at AIIMS recently performed a complicated balloon dilation procedure in a "grape-sized" heart of a 28-week-old fetus in the mother's womb in just 90 seconds. Here's everything you need to know of the rare feat :

• A 26-year old pregnant woman was admitted to AIIMS with a history of two miscarriages and death of a child 20-days post birth owing to a heart condition. The couple was determined to continue the pregnancy despite being informed of the poor cardiac conditon of the fetus, and gave the consent for the procedure.
• A team of interventional cardiologists along with doctors from the OBGYn department(fetal medicine) performed the procedure, balloon dilation, in the obstructed valve under ultrasound guidance.
• Both the mother and the fetus are stable and being monitored.
• The preparation for the surgery took almost a week, but the actual procedure lasted only 90 seconds.

The procedure, the first of its kind at any government hospital in the country, even prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tweet, "Proud of India's doctors for their dexterity and innovation."

Source: TOI | Read full story