An 8-year-old boy suffering from a congenital heart disease was operated upon in a coordinated manner by doctors of four departments in the King George's Medical University (KGMU).

The boy, a resident of Sitapur district, came to hospital with difficulty in breathing and oxygen saturation of 50 to 60 per cent. He was admitted to the paediatrics department under Prof Mala and Dr Shalini.

According to the KGMU spokesman, the child was diagnosed with Teratology of Fallot that affects normal blood flow through the heart.

"The illness is a type of cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) and babies do not survive for long. It has incidence rate of 0.34 per 1000 live births," said Prof S.K. Singh of the department of cardiac surgery.

Four departments -- paediatrics, cardiology, cardiac anaesthesia and cardiac surgery -- came together to save the child.

The challenge was to do open heart surgery in minutes as the kid was on bare minimum oxygen levels inside the operating theatre.

After 10 days of exhaustive ICU management, the boy has recovered. "The boy will lead a normal life now," said Prof Singh. [IANS/JS]