New Delhi – A seven-year-old Iraqi boy suffering from persistent, fast heart rhythm with fatal consequences successfully underwent a life-saving procedure at a hospital here amid extreme caution owing to his young age and low body weight.

Doctors at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI) performed the rare and life-saving cardiac procedure electrophysiology study and radiofrequency ablation on the boy last month.

The patient suffered from incessant tachycardia – a persistent, fast heart rhythm that does not resolve on its own and can lead to serious complications like heart muscle weakening and heart failure, the hospital said in a statement.

The patient was born with an abnormal circuit in his heart.

“When presented at Fortis Escorts, Okhla the patient reported abnormal heart rhythms/beats ranging between 170-200 beats per minute,” the statement said.

The normal heart beat ranges between 75 and 118 beats per minute.

The child weighed only 26 kilos and had been unwell for years with no medical interventions performed in his country owing to the high risks involved due to the patient's age and low bodyweight, the statement said.

The doctors in Iraq allegedly kept the young boy on medications that can potentially be toxic. Also such medications, severely restrict the quality of life and can have very bad side-effects on the body, it said.

After due consideration and consultations, his family finally brought him to India.

The doctors decided to perform an electrophysiology study (a diagnostic test that evaluates electric system to diagnose and treat abnormal heart rhythms) and radiofrequency ablation (a medical procedure that uses heat generated from alternating current to destroy dysfunctional heart tissue causing arrhythmias) which is a rarely attempted procedure in children under 30 kilos due to the risks.

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