15-Year-Old Girl Awaiting Heart Surgery for 13 Years Dies at AIIMS Delhi
A 15-year-old girl with a complex congenital heart defect died early Tuesday at AIIMS Delhi, where her family had been seeking corrective surgery for more than 13 years.
Tanvi, a resident of Kota, was admitted to the hospital on August 24 for evaluation for a possible heart-lung transplant. Her death occurred following a sudden drop in oxygen levels and a subsequent cardiac arrest during pre-transplant procedures.
According to Dr V Devagourou, professor and head of the department of CTVS at the hospital's CT Centre, Tanvi underwent an endoscopy on Monday as part of the transplant work-up. At 2:50 am on Tuesday, she complained of fatigue and weakness and became cyanotic as her oxygen saturation dropped to 48%. She was placed on oxygen support at 3:30 am and suffered a hypoxic spell that triggered cardiac arrest. Medical staff attempted resuscitation, but she was declared dead at 5:06 am.
Tanvi had first visited AIIMS in 2012 and was diagnosed with ventricular septal defect (VSD) with pulmonary atresia. An AIIMS document dated January 31, 2014, had recommended a "unifocalisation & conduit" surgery with an estimated cost of Rs 1.2 lakh. Her father, Mukesh Pariyani, stated that surgery dates were scheduled in 2015 but were repeatedly postponed and never carried out.
Dr Devagourou stated that Tanvi was evaluated for surgery in 2013, but the procedure was ruled out in 2018, after which she was managed medically. Doctors noted that her pulmonary arteries were absent and her cardiac anatomy was complex, making corrective surgery unviable and potentially fatal, which prompted the evaluation for a heart-lung transplant.
Pariyani alleged that the hospital did not provide a satisfactory explanation for his daughter's deterioration and death. He claimed hospital staff had previously pressured him to seek a discharge and called for an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death. Following the incident, he had not collected his daughter's body as he sought answers from hospital authorities.
