30 surgeries in 11 yrs
An 11-year-old boy Farhan, who recently entered the operation theatre for the 30th time with a casual smile, has grabbed the attention of many at Kohinoor Hospital. Sakinaka resident, Farhan Ahmad Choudhary was born with the rarest of a rare disease called Juvenile Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, which is found in one of every 10,000 children. This has led him to undergo 30 surgeries in 11 years, out of which 25 surgeries were conducted by ENT surgeon Dr Sanjay Helale from Kohinoor Hospital. How many more surgeries he might have to face in the future is unpredictable due to the nature of his illness.
Children suffering from this disease develop recurrent tumors in the air passage of the respiratory tract. Usually, they get these tumors within a span of a few years. But considering the high frequency of recurrence in Farhan's case which is 3 to 4 months on average, it has become a rarest of rare case today. The worst fact is that there is no cure available for the disease until date, hence removing the tumor is the only treatment available.
According to Dr Helale, a huge challenge is involved in giving anesthesia through Farhan's tiny airway and to operate on the same. This surgery is possible only with the help of efficient anesthetists like Dr Saida Khan and Dr Ratnakar Gosawi, he states.
Every time doctors create a green window for surgery – 3 minutes for anesthesia and 3 minute of surgery, during which the anesthesia tubing is removed and the surgery continues thereafter – doctors have to make sure that blood and water does not trickle into his lungs. “Also, the patient's vitals are maintained on a jet ventilation system for best results,” he added.
“As Farhan is growing old, the span between his surgeries is increasing. This way he may not have to undergo surgeries post 30 years of age. That's the uniqueness of this disease. For now, we cannot take radical steps during surgery which may result in loss of his natural breathing system; rather sustaining it is our goal,” said Dr Helale.
Meanwhile, Farhan's father Firoj said, “Farhan used to have some or the other issues post surgery when other doctors operated on him. But he starts speaking normally in just 3 to 4 days after Dr Helale operates. Even his voice hasn't changed much. Farhan can lead a normal life despite having this disease, and that is of more importance to us.”
As Farhan is growing old, the span between his surgeries is increasing. This way he may not have to undergo surgeries post 30 years of age
- Dr. Sanjay Helale, ENT Surgeon
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