9-year-old boy from Andhra Pradesh suffers heart attack 3 times, saved

Kurnool, November 10

A nine-year-old boy from Gadwal was brought to a hospital here early on the morning of October 3.

Varun, having a history of irritability and breathing difficulty, suffered a cardiac arrest while entering the Medicover Hospital.

He was quickly revived with three cycles of CPR and adrenaline and was put on a ventilator.

Upon examination, he was found to have severe LV dysfunction (malfunctioning of left ventricle) due to myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle).

He was immediately shifted to the paediatric ICU and kept on a ventilator and administered drugs. His condition continued to be challenging for the doctors, with 2 heart attacks in between.

He was managed with the support of intravenous antibodies following which, he showed signs of improved cardiac function and good recovery.

On the fifth day of admission, he was weaned off from the ventilator and discharged later in a stable condition.

Left ventricular dysfunction is the medical name given for a weak heart pump. It is identified by waking up at midnight with shortness of breath, chest pain, an irregular heartbeat, coughing and fatigue. It can occur due to myocarditis.

Myocarditis is heart muscle inflammation, a severe condition that reduces the heart’s capacity to pump blood to other body parts. It can affect any age group showing symptoms in children such as chest pain, fainting, breathing problems, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, fever and rapid breathing.

Myocarditis is caused by infection from viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, or autoimmune diseases such as lupus, sarcoidosis, etc. Non-infectious causes including drugs or other environmental or toxic exposures can also lead to myocarditis.