Paediatric Surgery Department
In a year, the Paediatric Surgery Department in CMC Vellore conducts more than 2,400 surgeries for children. They have pushed the boundaries of thoracic pediatric surgery and many children who would otherwise have been deemed inoperable have got an new lease on life through these robotic assisted operations. The procedure however, is very expensive. While the children need this life-saving procedures, their families also struggle to bear the cost of the treatment. Patients who really need financial support are given subsidies through contributions from kind donors, the department’s special funds and CMC’s charity.
Little Tara
This is the story of a cheerful 4-year-old Tara (name changed) who loves to play with her dolls. She had a persistent cough for the last 2 years that troubled her. Her local doctors empirically treated her for Tuberculosis over 9 months with no relief. With worsening breathing issues, she underwent a scopy into her airways and was diagnosed a tumour in the left main bronchus ( the stem that connects the trachea to the left lung). The tumour was removed two times by endoscopy only to come back again. Desperate for a permanent solution, the parents brought Tara to CMC Vellore.
After investigations, a complex Robotic surgical procedure was planned. This involved removing the segment of the affected portion of the left main bronchus and reattaching the ends together. The Robot was invaluable in helping the surgeons approach this nearly inaccessible site – one that is hidden behind heart and tucked under the arch of the Aorta. With the tumour cut away, the ends were delicately sutured and snugly reattached using the multidirectional robotic arms.
Tara made a remarkably quick recovery. She was discharged from the hospital on the third post operative day. She is now able to breathe easy and is back to her bubbly self, jumping and bouncing about. her parents are indeed extremely grateful for this gift of healing.
You can help too
Many children like Tara await your compassionate gift of giving to experience the healing they so desperately need through the use of technology.
Support a Life-Saving Surgery
