A rare redo surgery saved the life of a 10-year-old girl suffering from complex congenital heart disease by the surgeon of a hospital in Lucknow.

The patient was earlier operated upon when she was four years old. A repeat or redo heart surgery helps the heartbeat function more efficiently. A team of experts led by cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at the hospital in Lucknow performed this risky and complicated heart surgery.

In the procedure, the damaged artificial valve was excised and right heart outflow was augmented and reconstructed with bio-tissue to achieve normal blood flow to the lungs. The child recovered fully and was ready for discharge after the operation.

The surgeon said: "She had difficulty in breathing. She had undergone open heart surgery at the age of 4 in Delhi, where a large hole in the heart was closed and an artificial valve conduit was used to connect her right heart to the lungs as that was absent since birth. On investigation, it was found that the valve conduit had got damaged and was not working properly. A second surgery was planned for the child to repair her heart again.

"A second surgery involves greater risk, more expenditure and is a rare operation," he added.