In a remarkable medical feat, doctors at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI), New Delhi, have given a new lease of life to a 7-year-old boy from Iraq whose heart was beating nearly 200 times a minute — almost twice the normal rate for his age.
Little Ali (name changed) had lived most of his young life with a dangerous heart rhythm disorder known as supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Each day brought fatigue, breathlessness, and fear — until a rare cardiac procedure in India changed everything.
A Battle Against Time
When Ali arrived in Delhi, his frail body weighed just 26 kilos, making surgery extremely risky. But his condition was worsening, and without intervention, he faced the possibility of heart failure.
A team led by Dr. Aparna Jaswal, Director of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, and Dr. Amitesh Chakraborty, Senior Consultant at FEHI, decided to take the challenge head-on.
Using a cutting-edge Electrophysiology Study and Radiofrequency Ablation technique, the doctors spent over two hours meticulously mapping the heart’s electrical circuits and destroying the tiny abnormal pathway responsible for his rapid heartbeat.
When the final pulse reading flashed on the monitor — a steady, normal rhythm — the room erupted in relief. For the first time in years, Ali could breathe freely.
A Miracle of Precision and Hope
“Such procedures are rarely performed in children weighing under 30 kilos,” said Dr. Jaswal. “But in this case, waiting could have been fatal. The success shows how precision and planning can make miracles happen.”
Dr. Vikram Aggarwal, Facility Director at Fortis Escorts, added, “Our Pediatric Electrophysiology Program is one of the few in India equipped for such complex, high-risk cases. Every year, we receive children from across the world who find hope here.”
Just a week after surgery, Ali was running down the hospital corridor — his laughter echoing where fear once lived.
For his parents, Delhi became more than a city of doctors — it became the place where their son’s heart found a new rhythm of life.
