50 children spared open-heart surgery — by catheter, not scalpel

Doctors at Apollo Children's Hospitals in Chennai have completed 50 catheter-based Fontan procedures — a world-first milestone for children born with only one working heart ventricle. Instead of another major open-heart operation, doctors thread catheters, wires and stents through blood vessels to complete the final stage of treatment, under local anaesthesia, with no ICU stay and a quicker trip home. The technique, first performed in 2023 and published in peer-reviewed journals, is offered only after careful assessment — conventional surgery remains the better option for some children. 'The aim is to reduce the burden of yet another major procedure for a child who has already undergone a lot,' said Dr. C.S. Muthukumaran, head of paediatric cardiology.