Over the past year, 16-year-old Sandeep has been admitted to hospitals 10 times and was unable to attend school. He was suffering due to dilated cardiomyopathy.
Over the past year, 16-year-old Sandeep has been admitted to hospitals 10 times and was unable to attend school. He was suffering due to dilated cardiomyopathy. The heart’s normal functional level is 50%, but for those with dilated cardiomyopathy, the functional level is 15%.
Another couple of months with this debilitating condition and Sandeep would have died. But he got a fresh lease of life thanks to a heart donor. As a result, he has become the youngest patient in Karnataka to undergo a cardiac transplant.
Sandeep’s parents approached Dr Bhagirath Raghuraman, cardiologist, Narayana Hrudayalaya, for a second opinion. “Sandeep approached me over a year ago with complaints of severe breathlessness, exertion, puffiness of face and abdominal bloating. His echocardiogram report showed he had dilated cardiomyopathy,” said Dr Raghuraman.
Two years ago, Sandeep’s elder sister died due to dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that can be hereditary and the patients usually have an premature death. “Sandeep was moribund with a bloated stomach and was unable to even sleep, let alone attend school,” said Dr Raghuraman.
“For the initial six months, he was kept under medication as it helps reverse the condition in few cases. For Sandeep, though the breathlessness reduced, his cardiac functioning didn’t increase,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sandeep suffered renal and liver failures due to low blood pressure and low perfusion of blood into organs. He was enlisted under the Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka for Transplantation (ZCCK) for a heart transplant.
On May 8, a 25-year-old man died in a road accident and his mother agreed to donate his organs. Sandeep was rushed to Narayana Hrudayalaya for the transplant. Since then, Sandeep has made a miraculous recovery and all his organs that were on the verge of failure have recovered.
He will be on post-transplant medication for the rest of his life now. On Saturday, Sandeep said: “I was told that I’d survive for a few more months. But thanks to my donor, I can live a normal life now and can think of my future. I will soon go back to school.”
Narayana Hrudayalaya’s management has decided to waive the surgery fee for patients who cannot afford the high cost of the transplant procedure.
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