22-year-old suffering from Takayasu's arteritis operated upon

Her family, too, had little idea of what was wrong with her. Lavanya mother said that her daughter did faint a couple of times about a year back, but the family simply shrugged off the episodes and did not take them seriously.

Lavanya’s health deteriorates
It was about three months back that Lavanya’s condition really deteriorated. So much so that she could barely walk ten steps without feeling giddy.

Dr S Visvakumar, professor of cardio-thoracic surgery at the Government General Hospital in Perungudi, where the girl was operated upon, said that Lavanya was in a miserable condition when she was admitted in the hospital.

He said, “When Lavanya came to us earlier this month, she was in bad shape. We immediately performed a battery of tests and diagnosed Takayasu’s disease. At that point, we realised she needed surgery.’’

The challenge for the doctors
While the disease is rare, the tests confirmed a critical block in her left main coronary artery, which presented a huge challenge for the doctors.

By this time, Lavanya’s condition had gone from bad to worse and she had to be taken on a wheel chair for an emergency surgery.

Dr Visvakumar said, “On Monday, we performed a byass surgery in which a vein was used to bypass her coronary arteries and connected it to the aorta. The challenge was huge because the aorta was very thick and brittle.''

Post surgery, Lavanya has been put on a ventilator and is recuperating under post-operative care at the ICU of the cardiology department of the hospital. She is likely to be discharged in 10 days’ time.

Hospital dean Dr J Mohana Sundram said of the surgery, "We are happy we offered it free of cost to a young girl who could not afford treatment at any private hospital.”

Takayasu's Arteritis, also known as aortic arch syndrome, is a rare chronic inflammatory auto-immune disease. The cause of this disease is unknown.