Manipal Hospital Vijayawada has expanded advanced paediatric heart care services to Visakhapatnam, improving access to specialised treatment for children with congenital and complex heart conditions.
Visakhapatnam: Reinforcing its commitment to making advanced paediatric heart care more accessible across Andhra Pradesh, Manipal Hospital Vijayawada has launched its dedicated Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery (CTVS) Clinic in Visakhapatnam. The clinic will provide expert consultation, early diagnosis and streamlined access to advanced treatment for children with congenital and acquired heart diseases, enabling families in North Andhra to receive specialised care closer to home.
The Paediatric Cardiology and CTVS programme at Manipal Hospital Vijayawada provides end-to-end care for children with congenital and acquired heart diseases, including fetal and neonatal cardiac evaluation, advanced catheter-based interventions, paediatric cardiac surgery, neonatal and paediatric cardiac intensive care, and long-term follow-up. The clinical team has collectively performed nearly 3,000 paediatric cardiac surgeries, covering the complete spectrum of congenital heart diseases from newborns to older children.
The department also offers minimally invasive trans-axillary cardiac surgery for suitable ASD, VSD and selected Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) cases, helping children recover faster while avoiding a visible scar on the chest. In addition, the team performs heart transplantation for carefully selected children and young adults with end-stage heart failure and offers robotic cardiac surgery for selected children weighing more than 20 kg, ensuring precision, smaller incisions and quicker recovery.
The programme is led by Dr. K. Vikram, Senior Consultant – Interventional Paediatric Cardiology, and Dr. Dilip Ratti, Consultant – CTVS along with a multidisciplinary team of paediatric cardiac surgeons, cardiac anaesthetists, intensivists and specialised nursing professionals dedicated to delivering comprehensive paediatric heart care.
Dr. Dilip Ratti, Consultant – CTVS, Manipal Hospital Vijayawada, added, "Early diagnosis and timely intervention significantly improve outcomes for children with congenital heart diseases. This clinic will help families access expert evaluation locally and receive advanced treatment without unnecessary delays."
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. K. Vikram, Senior Consultant – Interventional Paediatric Cardiology, Manipal Hospital Vijayawada, said, "Every child deserves timely access to advanced heart care. Our focus is on delivering safe, evidence-based treatment with the latest technologies so that children across Andhra Pradesh can receive world-class cardiac care closer to home."
The event also celebrated the inspiring recovery journeys of two young paediatric cardiac patients and their families, who shared their experiences of successful treatment at Manipal Hospital Vijayawada. Their stories highlighted the importance of early diagnosis, timely intervention and specialised multidisciplinary care in transforming the lives of children born with heart diseases.
Dr. Saktimaya Mohapatra, Cluster Director – Bhuvaneswar & Vijayawada, Manipal Hospitals, said, "Our vision is to build a strong regional network for paediatric cardiac care by combining experienced specialists, advanced technology and international collaborations. This initiative brings world-class heart care closer to families in North Andhra and neighbouring regions."
With state-of-the-art infrastructure, internationally benchmarked treatment protocols and a highly experienced multidisciplinary team, Manipal Hospital Vijayawada continues to strengthen its position as one of the leading centres for paediatric cardiac care in South India. The launch of the Visakhapatnam clinic marks another milestone in the hospital's mission to ensure that every child with a heart condition receives timely diagnosis, advanced treatment and compassionate care closer to home.
