Heart Surgery: Tejaswini Hire, a 31-year-old woman from Ghatkopar’s Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar, was eight months pregnant with twins when she was rushed to KEM Hospital with severe chest pain and breathlessness. Doctors discovered a life-threatening tear in her aorta—the main artery carrying blood from the heart—caused by a rare genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome.
Emergency C-Section and 18-Hour Open-Heart Surgery
The condition, known as aortic dissection, had extended dangerously close to her coronary artery and caused severe fluid buildup in her lungs. Delays in diagnosis and a lack of confidence in the government hospital’s handling of the high-risk case led her family to shift her to Jaslok Hospital, fearing the loss of all three lives. By the time she arrived, one twin’s heartbeat had faded, prompting an emergency C-section followed by an 18-hour open-heart surgery.
The family, already under immense emotional stress, had to borrow heavily to meet the Rs 30 lakh treatment cost at Jaslok, which covered the mother and the premature babies’ month-long hospital stay, as reported by TOI.
“At KEM, we were told the cost would be around Rs 4 lakh, but the risks were too high. We had lost trust,” said her husband, Nishant Hire.
Marfan Syndrome, A Genetic Condition
Dr Hemant Pathare, the cardiothoracic surgeon at Jaslok Hospital, who led the case, said this might be the first such survival case globally, given the mortality risks. “Pregnancy with Marfan syndrome, a genetic condition that weakens connective tissue and can lead to life-threatening cardiovascular complications.
“Marfan Syndrome poses danger even outside pregnancy, but it significantly increases the mother’s risk during pregnancy,” Dr. Laliwala noted. “Cardiac complications can strike anytime—from early pregnancy to immediately after delivery.”
Now two months old, the twins are healthy, while Tejaswini is still recovering and will require lifelong medication. Despite the financial burden, the family is grateful. “All three are alive—and that’s what matters,” said Nishant.
Credit: The Times of India
