In The Media

One of our team members was recently interviewed on Namma TV. Here is the video for you.

Our Team has been repeatedly been featured in the local media in Mangalore. Here are some of the snippets and links to the work he has been doing with children over the years.

Mangaluru, DEC 04

Mangaluru: Rare Surgery at AJ Hospital Gives Little Girl New Lease on Life

A six year old girl got a new lease on life after experts at AJ Hospital and Research Centre performed a rare procedure on her a few days ago.
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Mangaluru, Nov 22

Mangaluru: 3-year-old girl's twin heart problem treated without surgery at AJ

A three-year-old girl was having difficulty playing with her friends. She used to get tired easily. She also had a lot of pain in both her legs after any activity. She was brought to AJ hospital for the above complaints.

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Mangaluru, Feb 8

Two-day-old baby undergoes successful heart surgery at AJ Hospital

A two-day-old blue baby, weighing 2.3 kg, admitted to the NICU at AJ Hospital and Research Centre in January, was diagnosed with transposition of great arteries in the 5th month of pregnancy.

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FEBRUARY 8, 2017

Mangaluru: Baby with rare cardiac problem operated at AJ Hospital

Doctors at AJ Hospital & Research Centre, Mangaluru have have successfully operated upon a two-day-old child born with a rare cardiac condition.
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Mangalore, May 11

Rare Cardiac Procedure at AJ Hospital Saves Day-old Baby

A rare heart procedure on a day-old baby at the city’s AJ Hospital has saved her life.

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Mangaluru, Aug 1

Mangaluru: Rare five chamber heart surgery performed at A J Hospital

A J Hospital in city has performed a rare five chamber heart surgery on two year old girl. Pavana (name changed) from Ankola was a little two year old child who was having breathing difficulty while playing.

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Mangalore, May 6

First of its kind paediatric cardiac procedure done at AJ Hospital

A 12-year-old girl was suffering from breathing difficulty while playing. She was evaluated and found to have a hole in the heart – ventricular septal defect (VSD). VSDs were earlier closed by open heart surgery.
Know More

Mangaluru, Jun 21

Mangaluru: Rare cardiac procedure performed at A J Hospital.

A 30 year old woman from Belthangady, with history of recurrent strokes was referred to Dr R Purushotham, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist for cardiac evaluation.
Know More

Mangalore, Feb 20

Rare Heart Defect Treated Without Surgery at AJ Hospital

Mrs. Shuba (name changed) aged 36 yrs hailing from Chitradurga district, a manual labourer, was having breathing difficulty while doing her work since the last 6 months.
Know More

Mangaluru, March 21

Rare feat performed by Children's Heart Specialist

Seven children were diagnosed to have holes in the heart called moderate Ventricular Septal Defect(VSD) said Dr. Prem Alva,
Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at A. J. Hospital.

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A Rare Case of Giant Coronary Aneurysm in a 5- Year- Old Child

Coronary aneurysms are typically seen in association with Kawasaki disease and only in rare instances, they are reported to be congenital or idiopathic.
Know More

September 25, 2018

Cardiac Check-Up Camp for Children at A J Hospital & Research Centre

The first full-fledged Pediatric Cardiology Centre is functioning at A J Hospital & Research Centre. The team of Doctors comprises Dr. Prem Alva, Pediatric Cardiologist and Dr Gourav Shetty, Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon.

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24th November, 2016

Girl with twin heart disease gets a new lease of life

She was taken the to catheterization lab, where Dr Alva put a button in the heart to close the hole, through a medical procedure.

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World Heart Day(Talk with Dr. Prem Alva)

Part 1
Part 2

Vision

To treat all children suffering with congenital heart disease in the region. To help funding treatment for unfortunate children.

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Vision

To treat all children suffering with congenital heart disease in the region. To help funding treatment for unfortunate children.

Browse

Connect
Facebook-f Instagram

Rare Surgery at AJ Hospital Gives Little Girl New lease on Life

  • Src: The New Indian Express
  • Dec 04, 2019
  • 11:08 PM
Mangalore: A six year old girl got a new lease on life after experts at AJ Hospital and Research Centre performed a rare procedure on her a few days ago. This is the first time that this rare procedure has been performed in coastal Karnataka. Additionally, the procedure was done free of cost under the government scheme as the girl’s family wasn’t able to afford her treatment.
AJ Hospital Medical Director Dr Prashanth Marla. in a press release, informed that six year old Suma (name changed) was brought to the AJ Hospital, Mangaluru with complaints of poor weight gain and fatigue while running and playing. In her early childhood, she had frequent cough and fever and had to visit the local doctor often. She was evaluated by Paediatric Cardiologist Dr. Prem Alva, who diagnosed her with a rare congenital heart defect called Aorta-Pulmonary Window.
This is a condition where an abnormal connection is present between two blood vessels arising from the heart. She was given non-surgical treatment of the same. A device closure of the heart defect was done by Dr.Alva, supported by a cardiac anaesthesia team comprising Dr. Gururaj Tantry and Dr Suhas. The child was discharged within two days of the procedure and is now able to attend school and play with her friends without any side effects, the press release said.

Mangaluru: 3-year-old girl's twin heart problem treated without surgery at AJ

  • Src: Daiji World
  • Nov 22, 2016
  • 11:52:02 AM
Mangaluru, Nov 22: A three-year-old girl was having difficulty playing with her friends. She used to get tired easily. She also had a lot of pain in both her legs after any activity. She was brought to AJ hospital for the above complaints.

Dr Prem Alva, consultant pediatric cardiologist did a heart scan and found that she had two heart diseases from birth. There was a medium-sized hole in the centre of the heart called ventricular septal defect.

She was also found to have blockage of the blood vessel going to the lower part of the body called coarctation of aorta. This caused the pulse in the legs to be very feeble. The parents were devastated on finding out that their little daughter had two heart diseases. It was decided to treat this rare condition without surgery.

She was taken to the cath lab where Dr Prem Alva did a procedure to put a button (device) in the heart to close the hole in the heart. Following this, in the same sitting, the block in the blood vessel was opened using balloon dilatation called coarctoplasty. The procedure went on successfully and there was no complication.

The little girl was discharged within two days of the procedure. She can play now with her friends and lead a normal life. Dr GururajTantry provided anaesthesia during the procedure. The treatment was given free of cost through healthcare scheme funded by the government of Karnataka.

AJ Hospital & Research Centre is the only centre in Dakshina Kannada to have full-fledged pediatric cardiology department with full time consultant pediatric cardiologist.

M'luru: Two-day-old baby undergoes successful heart surgery at AJ Hospital

  • Src: Daiji World
  • Feb 8, 2017
  • 03:16:08 PM

Mangaluru, Feb 8: A two-day-old blue baby, weighing 2.3 kg, admitted to the NICU at AJ Hospital and Research Centre in January, was diagnosed with transposition of great arteries in the 5th month of pregnancy.

The diagnosis was done when a foetal echo was performed by Dr Prem Alva, children’s heart specialist at AJ Hospital.

This is a condition where the two major blood vessels leaving the heart are connected to the wrong chambers of the heart. Thus the blood containing oxygen which is required to nourish the body goes back into the lungs instead, requiring urgent surgery.
Even though this condition accounts for approximately 5% of all children born with heart diseases, it is one of the few conditions that require surgery immediately after birth.

The parents were counseled by Dr Gourav S Shetty, children’s heart surgeon at AJ Hospital who has performed more than 200 surgeries on children over a period of two years in AJ Hospital. He explained to them why this procedure was complex and needed expertise. It was carried out on a heart smaller than an egg, the 2 major arteries smaller than a little finger and the vessels supplying blood to the heart smaller than ball point refill, all these abnormally coming from the heart needed to be corrected.

After the successful surgery by Dr Gourav S Shetty and his team, Dr Gururaj Tantry, chief cardiac anesthetist and intensivist, Dr Suhas, anesthetist and his team successfully managed the baby in ITU.

The baby was discharged on the 7th day from hospital. Follow up was done a week later with a healthy baby and very happy parents.

AJ Hospital and Research Centre is the only Centre in the coastal region which has the expertise to conduct such complex surgeries even on newborns.

Mangaluru: Baby with rare cardiac problem operated at AJ Hospital

  • Src: Times of India
  • Feb 8, 2017
  • 18:25 IST

Doctors at AJ Hospital Mangaluru have successfully operated upon a two-day-old child born with a rare cardiac condition.

Baby Tanisha,(name changed) weighing 2.3 kgs, was admitted to the hospital last month.The infant was diagnosed with transposition of great arteries in the fifth month of pregnancy when a foetal echo was performed by our team.

During the check-up, it was found that this is a condition where the two major blood vessels starting from the heart were connected to the wrong chambers of the heart. As a result, the blood containing oxygen which is required to nourish the body,goes back into the lungs instead of supplying it to the rest of the body. According to doctors, this cardiac condition is found in 5 percent of the children who are born with heart diseases and it requires surgery immediately after birth. The parents were counselled by our team, explained them why this procedure was complex and needed expertise. After a successful surgery by Dr Gourav S Shetty & his team, Dr Gururaj Tantry,chief
cardiac anaesthetist & intensivist, DrSuhas, Anaesthetist and his team then successfully managed the baby in ITU. The baby was discharged from the hospital a week after the surgery.

A rare heart procedure on a day-old baby at the city's AJ Hospital has saved her life.

  • Src: Daiji World
  • May 11, 2012
  • 12:59:42 pm

Mangalore, May 11: A rare heart procedure on a day-old baby at the city’s AJ Hospital has saved her life.

A day-old blue-baby girl was brought to AJ Hospital and Research Centre recently with severe heart defects. The blood flow to the lungs was 99% blocked due to a defective valve, called critical pulmonary stenosis.

The doctors went for an urgent surgery to save her life. Dr Prem Alva, the children’s heart specialist, conducted the procedure of operation. The blocked valve was successfully opened up without open heart surgery by balloon dilatation.
The baby has fully recovered and is ready to go home.

This is the first time that such a procedure has been performed on a new born in the coastal region. It was a team effort including paediatrician Santhosh Soans and Ananth Pai.

Children born with simple heart defects can be treated without open heart surgery at AJ hospital.

Rare five chamber heart surgery performed at A J Hospital

  • Src: Daiji World
  • Aug 1, 2016
  • 06:49:08 PM

Mangaluru, Aug 1: A J Hospital in city has performed a rare five chamber heart surgery on two year old girl. Pavana (name changed) from Ankola was a little two year old child who was having breathing difficulty while playing.

She had frequent admissions to the hospital for respiratory infections. Unlike other children of her age, she was in the hospital for long durations. On taking her to A J Hospital, she was evaluated with a heart scan (Echo) by Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist Dr Prem Alva and diagnosed to have a very rare condition called cortriatriatum. This is a heart defect where there is an extra chamber and two large holes in the heart.

Pavana was taken up for open heart surgery by Dr Gaurav Shetty, Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon. The child was successfully operated upon and discharged from the hospital within a week. Dr Gururaj Tantry, Chief Cardiac Anaesthetist played a crucial role in the anaesthesia and ICU management of this little girl.

She is now doing well and playing with her friends at home. The surgery was done free of cost under the scheme.

The ‘Children’s Heart Centre’ at A J Hospital & Research Centre is a world-class facility specializing in providing comprehensive care for neonates, infants and children with all varieties of heart ailments and adults with simple and complex congenital heart defects.

The centre encompasses the specialties of Paediatric Cardiology, Paediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthesia, Paediatric Cardiac Intensive care areas, supported by specially trained Paediatric Perfusionists, Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, social workers and counsellors.

The department is equipped with the latest equipment capable of performing all forms of echocardiography including 3D evaluation and transesophageal echocardiography in babies. Other non-invasive methods of evaluation such as CT/MRI are also available in-house. In addition, facilities for prenatal detection (Fetal echocardiography) of congenital heart defects are available along with management of high risk pregnancies.

First of its kind paediatric cardiac procedure done at AJ Hospital

  • Src: Daiji World
  • May 6, 2014
  • 06:03:29 PM

Mangalore, May 6: A 12-year-old girl was suffering from breathing difficulty while playing. She was evaluated and found to have a hole in the heart – ventricular septal defect (VSD). VSDs were earlier closed by open heart surgery. For the first time in Mangalore, the VSD was closed in the Cathlab with a button like device made of Nitinol.

Doctors at AJ Hospital completed this procedure successfully and the patient is recovering well. This is a first of its kind case in this region.

The procedure was done by Dr Prem Alva, consultant paediatric cardiologist, AJ Hospital & Research Centre and was assisted by cardiac anaesthesiologist Dr Gururaj Tanthry. The procedure was done free of cost to the patient.

For further details of the case Dr Prem Alva can be contacted at 9611125844.

AJ Hospital & Research Centre is a major referral centre for Mangalore and surrounding regions and has performed complex cardiac procedures and surgeries with excellent results. AJ Hospital has achieved many a milestones by conducting various rare surgeries and procedures.

Rare cardiac procedure performed at A J Hospital

  • Src: Daiji World
  • Jun 21, 2016
  • 03:51:08 pm

A 30 year old woman from Belthangady, with history of recurrent strokes was referred to Dr R Purushotham, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist for cardiac evaluation. On further evaluation at A J Hospital & Research Centre, she was diagnosed to have a hole in the heart (PFO), which results in intermittent mixing of arterial (pure) and venous (impure) blood. This clinical situation is also known to cause propagation of blood clots to the brain (paradoxical embolism), occasionally.

She was subjected to a series of non-invasive tests and the intermittent mixing of pure and impure blood was documented by means of Transesophageal and Contrast Echocardiography. She underwent successful closure of hole in the heart by an Amplatzer device (PFO device closure). This procedure was successfully done by a team of Doctors from A J Hospital & Research Centre, comprising of Dr R Purushotham, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Dr Prem Alva, Consultant Pediatric Interventional Cardiologist and Dr Gururaj Tantry, Consultant Cardiac Anaesthetist. The procedure lasted for 45 minutes and the patient was discharged on the next day of the procedure and is now on regular follow-up with Dr Rajesh Shetty, Consultant Neurologist.

PFO is a hole, which is present in the foetal stages of life to ensure adequate mixture of blood when the lungs are not fully developed. This hole is known to close spontaneously in more than 75% of people soon after birth. For most people with PFO, it is not a problem even though blood is leaking from right atrium to the left atrium. However, problems arise when the leaked blood from the right atrium contains blood clots and they escape into the blood stream. These blood clots can cause obstruction to the blood flow, commonly to the brain, causing stroke / TIA and migraine occasionally.

PFO Device Closure, performed successfully at A J Hospital & Research Centre is a relatively rare interventional cardiac procedure and it also happens to be the first of its kind in this region. A J Hospital & Research Centre has many such firsts to its credit and this rare procedure adds another feather in its cap.

Rare Heart Defect Treated Without Surgery at AJ Hospital

  • Src: Mangalorean
  • Feb 20, 2019

Mangaluru: Mrs. Shuba (name changed) aged 36 yrs hailing from Chitradurga district, a manual labourer, was having breathing difficulty while doing her work since the last 6 months. She also had episodes where she felt her heart beating very fast for a few minutes said Dr. Prem Alva, Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist, A J Hospital and Research Centre.

Shuba was brought to A J Hospital and underwent a thorough evaluation. She was found to have a rare heart defect called ‘coronary cameral fistula’. It is an abnormal connection between the blood supply to the heart and the right sided heart chamber. Her heart size was significantly enlarged.

It was decided to treat the heart defect without surgery by cardiac catheter intervention. She was treated in the AJ Hospital cathlab and underwent a procedure called device closure of fistula with a vascular plug. The team comprised of Dr. Prem Alva, Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist; Dr. B.V. Manjunath, Chief Interventional Cardiologist; Cardiac anaesthesia team-Dr. GururajTanrty, Dr. Rakesh and Dr. Suhas.

Mrs. Shuba was discharged in 3 days and is back to her normal routine. This is the first time such a procedure has been done in Coastal Karnataka said Dr. Prem Alva. The procedure was done entirely free of cost to the patient under the govt. scheme.

Rare feat performed by Children's Heart Specialist

  • Src: Mangalorean
  • Mar 21, 2016

Seven children were diagnosed to have holes in the heart called moderate Ventricular Septal Defect(VSD) said Dr. Prem Alva,Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at A. J. Hospital. The children
had recurrent respiratory infections, breathing difficulty while playing and were unable to do their normal activities like other children.

An Echo cardiogram was done at A.J.hospital to detect the defects and it was also seen that the left of heart was abnormally enlarged with increased heart pressures in some children. This is a condition where the pure and impure blood is mixing in the heart. Hence, it was decided to close these holes in the heart without open heart surgery by the technique called ‘Device Closure of VSD’ using the ante-grade route in the heart. Meticulous planning was done regarding the size of the defect and choosing the accurate size of the device required to close the defect.
Team headed by Dr.Prem Alva with Anaesthetists, Dr.Gururaj Tantry and Dr.Trevor Sequeira did the procedures. The procedure went on smoothly in all the 7 children and they were discharged in a stable condition with in three days. They are now on follow up and doing well.
This is the first time VSD’s were closed by antegrade technique using ADO l devices in Mangalore. A.J.Hospital being the only exclusive Pediatric Cardiac Centre in Mangalore we hope to continue the quality of work said Dr.Prem Alva. All these patients were treated free under various schemes.

A Rare Case Of Giant Coronary Aneurysm In A 5- Year- Old Child

  • Src: International Journal of Pediatrics
  • March, 2019
Coronary aneurysms are typically seen in association with Kawasaki disease and only in rare instances, they are reported to be congenital or idiopathic. Here we report a case of a five year old boy who was found to have an idiopathic right coronary artery aneurysm. He presented with complaints of recurrent respiratory tract infections. His examination and investigations did not reveal any of the common etiological conditions. Echocardiography showed the right coronary artery was arising from the right coronary sinus and was dilated proximally. Cardiac catheterization revealed dilated proximal right coronary artery draining into a large pulsatile aneurysm. The child was surgically treated with an aorto-caval bypass, resection and surgical ligation of the aneurysm. He has no further complications and is on follow up.

Cardiac Check-Up Camp for Children at A J Hospital & Research Centre

  • Src: Mangalorean
  • Sep 25, 2018

Mangaluru: The first full-fledged Pediatric Cardiology Centre is functioning at A J Hospital & Research Centre. The team of Doctors comprises Dr. Prem Alva, Pediatric Cardiologist and Dr Gourav Shetty, Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon. Simple heart defects can be cured by pin-hole procedures and complex defects treated by open-heart surgeries, which are now routinely done at our center.

On account of world heart day, a heart check-up camp for children has been organized with a view to cater to a large number of children suffering from cardiac ailments and to create awareness among the parents about cardiac disease. The heart check-up camp for children with cardiac problems will be held in the Out-Patient Department of A.J. Hospital & Research Centre on Saturday, 29/10/2018. The camp participants will be offered FREE consultation and 50% discount on Echocardiogram. If the child requires further treatment, the same will be done at a concessional rate.

Children with following problems can avail the camp benefit:

Children known to have heart disease
Becoming blue on crying
She / he has recurrent respiratory infections
Has breathing difficulty while playing

Girl with twin heart disease gets a new lease of life

  • Src: Times of India
  • Nov 24, 2016
  • 09:07 IST

She was taken the to catheterization lab, where Dr Alva put a button in the heart to close the hole, through a medical procedure. The girl was discharged within two days of the procedure and can now lead a normal life. MANGALURU: Paediatric cardiologists at AJ Hospital and Research Centre have given a three-year-old girl new lease of life by correcting a ventricular septal defect (VSD) that she suffered from.The girl used to get tired quickly while playing and doing other activities. Following this, the block in the blood vessel was opened using balloon dilatation called coarctoplasty. The treatment is given free of cost through the state government-funded health care scheme.