Baby Jason Dibye Dalle from Cameroon, aged 4, suffered from aortic stenosis since birth. Additionally, he had a neurological disorder called Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease, which is an inherited disorder that affects the spine and the brain. Due to this disorder, baby Jason has neurological developmental issues. He was physically fine but had not developed speech and was not able to walk without support.

Mrs. Dalle, baby Jason’s mother, consulted the local doctors in Cameroon for his health check-up. Upon health check-up and close examination, Mrs. Dalle has advised ROSS surgery for baby Jason.

Following this, Mrs. Dalle contacted the insurance company that the baby was insured with. The company, being the official partner from Cameroon, contacted the team to find the best options for the treatment of baby Jason.

Team MediGence, upon receiving the query, started to work on the request without any delay. A treatment plan with the best possible treatment options for Baby Jason was submitted to the insurance company for review and decision. The intent was to connect them with the treatment facility and expert surgeons for Jason’s treatment.

Taking all the research into consideration and committed assistance by MediGence, Mrs. Dalle chose Dr. Muthu Jothi, Paediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. Dr. Jothi is one of the best surgeons for Paediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and is renowned for his precision and dedication towards children with cardiac defects.

Pre-treatment

Baby Jason arrived in Delhi on Friday 16th August 2019 accompanied by his mother Mrs. Dalle. On arrival, they were received by the Patient Care team and were taken directly to the hospital. The child’s initial consultation was made by Dr. Muthu Jothi. Baby Jason was admitted the same day for investigations that were to be conducted before the surgery.

During the investigations, Dr. Muthu realized that the baby did not need ROSS surgery, instead of needed Percutaneous Aortic Ballooning Valvuloplasty procedure for the treatment of severe Aortic Stenosis. During the investigations, it was also realized that the baby had an umbilical hernia and undescended testicles.

The Percutaneous Aortic Ballooning Valvuloplasty procedure was scheduled for 19th August and the surgery for a hernia and undescended testicles was scheduled for 22nd August.

Process

As scheduled, Baby Jason underwent the ballooning procedure on the 19th of August. He was kept in the Critical Care Unit for about three days. The technique of percutaneous aortic balloon valvuloplasty causes the widening of a stenotic aortic valve using a balloon catheter inside the valve. The balloon is inserted percutaneously and is then inflated leading to the increase in the opening size of the valve, thus improving blood flow.

When Dr. Muthu Jothi gave a go-ahead for the next surgery and baby Jason was stable, the surgery for a hernia and undescended testicles was performed as scheduled on 22nd August.