New Delhi: AIIMS New Delhi has formed a committee to investigate the clinical course circumstances leading to the death of a 15-year-old patient with complex congenital heart condition.
The committee will examine the complete sequence of events, clinical records, investigations, treatment provided, expert opinions and the circumstances surrounding the patient’s death, AIIMS said.
According to the statement, the patient named Tanvi was first evaluated at the Cardiology OPD of AIIMS on 10th October 2012, where she was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) with Pulmonary Atresia, a complex congenital cardiac condition in which the normal pathway for blood flow from the heart to the lungs is absent or severely interrupted.
Following the initial evaluation, Tanvi was referred to the cardiac surgery team for assessment, and through 2013 underwent detailed evaluation using CT angiography, conventional angiography and cardiac catheterisation to assess the cardiac anatomy and determine the feasibility of corrective surgery.
The treating team concluded in 2017 that corrective cardiac surgery was not feasible given the underlying cardiac anatomy and complexity of the condition.
The child was accordingly advised medical management and regular follow-up. The family was informed about the clinical assessment and the recommended course of management and possible prognosis.
AIIMS notes that the family continued to remain in contact with the institute over the subsequent years.
The child was admitted to AIIMS on August 24, 2026 when her clinical condition deteriorated and was evaluated comprehensively, including for the possibility of heart-lung transplantation, considering the advanced nature of her cardiac condition, the institute said.
She was declared dead in the early hours of September 1, after developing sudden fatigue and weakness, followed by severe cyanosis, with oxygen saturation falling to approximately 48 per cent, as per the statement.
AIIMS informed that an autopsy is currently underway, and the findings will be taken into consideration along with the complete clinical records and other relevant evidence.
As per TOI reports, the patient had been making rounds of AIIMS for more than 13 years, after her diagnosis. Her family had raised concerns over the delay in corrective surgery and alleged that the surgery dates were fixed and later changed.
