Woman with fatal heart condition survives 22 yrs,makes history

The woman’s left coronary artery,instead of originating from a vessel that carries pure blood to the body,used to be attached to one that channelised impure blood to the lungs. When she suffered cardiac arrest and was brought to the hospital,doctors discovered that a part of her heart could barely pump blood due to lack of oxygen. This part,the left ventricle,is also responsible for pumping pure blood to the body.

“The condition is called the anomalous left vein coronary artery arising from pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) and 90 per cent children die within the first one year of their lives. A few live till they are five or six years old,but I have not come across a patient who has survived this long with this condition,and had a baby too,” Dr Prasad,former HoD of Cardiac Surgery at Safdarjung,said.

The team used a fragment of the heart’s outer covering to create a connection between the errant artery and the blood vessel carrying pure blood. Manju is recovering,and may come out of the ICU by Wednesday.

However,she is oblivious to the wonder of nature that her life has been so far . “I never had any problems… maybe minor backache at times,whenever I would extend my hand. I never had any problems till four months ago,” says Manju,who is married to a farmer.

Manju survived through a freak dilation of her other coronary artery,which not just broadened to increase blood supply but also spouted numerous collaterals to make up for limitations of the other artery,Dr Prasad stated.

The team now plans to report Manju’s case to an international journal.