‘UT should implement health scheme on Andhra pattern’

Dr K M Cherian was the guest of honour while Soni was the chief guest for the event. PGI Director Dr K K Talwar addressed the delegates and emphasised the importance of the platform in providing better paediatric cardiac care.

The inaugural function was followed by a cultural programme showcasing the heritage and traditional dances of Punjab.

Several renowned surgeons and eminent figures in the field of paediatric cardiac care from the country and abroad participated in the event.

The scientific programme began with a talk by Dr Krishna Kumar,who highlighted the importance of team work in paediatric care.

Among the panelists were Dr K S Iyer,Dr K S Murthy,Dr R Tandon,Dr Usha,Dr Pedro Del Nido (USA),Dr Shivaprakash K (Mumbai) and Dr K S Murthy (Hyderabad).

Surgical planning,treatment of difficult cases and methods to avoid complications were also discussed.

Latest advances in imaging of congenital heart disease by 3-D echocardiography were also highlighted.

Dr Anita Saxena,Dr Sivakumar K and Dr S Sivasankaran laid down its importance for pre-operative planning and follow up of patients. Dr Andrew Cook (UK) and Dr Girish Shirali (USA) also spoke on the topic.

Modalities to diagnose heart ailments in foetus were also discussed. Dr Edgar Jaeggi (USA),Dr Shardha Srinivasan (USA),Dr Balu Vaidyanathan and Dr S Radhakrishnan spoke about diagnosing abnormalities in the structure as well as rhythm of the heart. Recent applications of conventional imaging modalities like CT scan and MRI in diagnosing congenital heart disease were also acknowledged.

An extensive talk was delivered on the problems of pulmonary hypertension and its management in heart diseases.

Dr Ghazwan Butrous (UK),Dr Inder S Anand (USA),Dr Sheila Haworth (UK),Dr John Kinsella (USA) and Dr Anshuman Sharma (Australia) also shared their views and experience at the conference.