Thiruvananthapuram SAT Hospital has successfully completed the open-heart surgery of a one-and-a-quarter-year-old child weighing 7 kg, who was diagnosed with congenital heart defect (cyanotic heart disease). This procedure for cyanotic heart defects is being carried out for the first time at SAT Hospital. Only a few hospitals in Kerala have this facility.

The heart defect was detected during pregnancy with the help of fetal echo, and after delivery, the baby received treatment at SAT Hospital. The hospital, under the government, has a dedicated cardiac surgery theater and cath lab for children. Over 450 keyhole surgeries have already been performed through the cath lab. Within the last six months, PDA stenting, an emergency treatment for severe neonatal heart disease, has been successfully completed in 10 newborns.