November 14, 2011
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
The doctors’ task of treating patients is not always easy. When it comes to treating grown-ups, the job may not be that hard as compared to children. Treating new borns is truly a Herculean task by the fact that they won’t be able to communicate their problems with the doctor as adults can do.
Here’s Dr Prem Alva who has been treating children for the last 10 years and since 5 years he has been concentrating on protecting the most complex and central part of children – the ‘heart’.
Dr Prem Alva has done his MBBS from Kasturba Medical College and MD from J J Medical College, Davangere. He has completed three and a half years of fellowship training in pediatric cardiology, both at Madras Medical Mission- India’s first centre for pediatric services, followed by a fellowship in Interventional Pediatric Cardiology at Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore. He also had worked as Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at Narayana Hrudayalaya.
Dr Alva specializes in diagnosing simple and complex congenital heart diseases. He has successfully treated many children born with heart diseases by interventional procedures thus avoiding the need for open heart surgery. Let’s hear about the children’s heart-related problems and treatment techniques directly from the specilialist.
Excerpts from the interview
Q: What exactly does your Interventional Pediatric Cardiology Department offer? Is it the first such clinic in Mangalore?
A: Yes it is the first of its kind in whole of Coastal Karnataka. A good number of children with cardiac ailments from the coastal region were getting referred to cardiac care centers in Bangalore or Chennai. There was no Interventional Pediatric Cardiologist available in the Karnataka and in many instances the parents either used to delay or forego the treatment because of the distance. Hence we planned to have such a clinic to cater to the needs of children with heart problems in this part of the region.
Q: What causes heart problems in Children? What are some of the reasons?
A: There are various reasons for heart issues in children. Firstly it could have been genetic defects or hereditary, inherited from parents or family members. If children have limb defects, blue defects or kidney defects there is a possibility of developing heart problems. If the mother takes too many medications other than what is prescribed for a healthy pregnancy that may also lead to heart defects in children. Most of the children who come with heart problems will have holes in their heart, of small or bigger levels.
Q: What are the possible symptoms that appear due to heart problems in Children? When should the parents take their children to heart specialist?
A: The symptoms may be persistent cold and caught, some babies may breathe faster, they wouldn’t be able to play like other children, may have repeated respiratory infections. When these kinds of symptoms appear, the parents can get the check-up done with a cardiac specialist. There’s a simple scanning method called ‘Echo Cardiography’which will confirm whether the heart related problems exist or not.
Q: What is the figure of children who are prone to or get these heart problems?
A: For every 10,000, ten children have heart problems. There are 1, 50,000 children in India who are born with congenital heart problems. Out of them, only 10% are treated across the county.
Q: What could be the reason for this? Why only little number of children receive treatments?
A. It could be due to lack of facilities in the rural areas, lack of awareness about heart diseases in children, financial constraints among others.
Q: What is the seriousness of these heart problems in children? Can it prove fatal?
A: Yes. If a child has a large hole in the heart and if it is not treated on time it can be very fatal. Even if it is a smaller level heart problem, if not treated at all it can cause a lot of problems in future. People normally have a misconception that heart surgeries cannot be done successfully on new borns. But it is not so. Surgeries can be conducted even in the first week of life and they will be successful.
Q: Could you brief on the way the treatments are normally done?
A: As far as possible we heart specialists try to correct the heart defects without surgery. Simple holes can be closed using a device called ‘Button’. It just takes about an hour and the patient can go home the very next day.
In case of the new borns if there are serious blocks in the valves, it needs immediate treatment. There is something called a ‘balloon procedure’. Using the balloon the valves can be opened and blocks can be amended.
Once treated, 99% of children can lead a normal life just like any other children.
Q: How do you reach out to children with heart problems? Any initiatives taken?
A: We identify various districts in coastal Karnataka. Once or twice a month long camps are conducted in Government hospitals. We also send circulars. During the camp, we examine the patients, do a scan and guide them appropriately if they require a heart surgery.
Q: Are there any schemes beneficial to lesser-privileged children with heart problems?
A: There are quite a few schemes. a) Yashaswini scheme – for farmer in Karnataka state. Their children can avail the opportunity.
b) Suvarna Arogya Scheme – for children studying in Government schools in Karnataka state.
c) Vajpai Arogya Scheme
d) BPL card holders in certain districts
e) Members under the ESI scheme.
All those who come under the above schemes can avail the treatments entirely free including surgery procedures and hospital stay.
Q: Finally what is your message to all the parents on Children’s day?
A: The children’s life is very very precious. Any children with heart related symptoms need to get checked with paediatricians. Parents should take them to doctor without delay. Majority of heart diseases are treatable. Hence they need not have to worry at all when the symptoms appear in children. Incase it does, with treatment all will be well.
Dr Prem Alva can be contacted at +91 9611125844.