Dubai infant with rare heart defect faces Dh146,515 bill and urgent surgery need

Diagnosis and Emergency Care

Tanya Sangtani, born on 19 August 2026 as one of twin daughters, weighed approximately 1.4 kilograms at birth. Shortly after delivery, she developed breathing difficulties, and doctors discovered a serious heart condition that had not been detected prenatally. She was diagnosed with mixed-type Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC), a rare congenital defect in which the veins carrying oxygen-rich blood from the lungs connect abnormally to the heart.

In a normal heart, these veins deliver oxygenated blood to the left side of the heart for circulation throughout the body. In Tanya’s case, the veins follow multiple abnormal pathways, disrupting proper blood flow. When she was about four weeks old, her condition deteriorated sharply.

She was hospitalised after three days of worsening breathing difficulties and cyanosis, a bluish discolouration of the skin caused by insufficient oxygen. Her oxygen saturation had fallen to around 70 per cent, and doctors diagnosed respiratory failure. She was urgently admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for stabilisation and further tests.

Temporary Procedure and Need for Surgery

Physicians performed a balloon atrial septostomy, an emergency catheter-based procedure that enlarges an opening between the heart’s upper chambers to improve blood circulation. According to her medical report, Tanya responded well, showing significant improvements in breathing, heart pressures and overall condition. She was subsequently able to breathe without additional oxygen, tolerate full oral feeds and begin gaining weight.

However, the procedure was a temporary measure, not a permanent correction. “While she has shown incredible strength and is temporarily stable, this was only a temporary fix. She urgently needs a definitive open-heart surgical repair in the coming months once she grows stronger,” said Tanya’s uncle, Kamal Sangtani.

Tanya has since been discharged and is recovering at home under close monitoring by her family. Her father, Durgesh Sangtani, an Indian expatriate who has lived in the UAE for 12 years and works in sales, described the past two months as filled with hospital visits, medical procedures and uncertainty over his daughter’s health.

Mounting Medical Costs

Alongside health concerns, the family is grappling with substantial expenses. Hospital billing details shared by the family show an invoice of Dh147,065.80, of which Dh146,515.80 remains unpaid after initial payments. The charges cover emergency stabilisation, intensive care admission and the cardiac catheterisation procedure.

The family estimates that Tanya’s upcoming open-heart surgery will cost an additional Dh250,000 to Dh300,000. According to Durgesh, their medical insurance has coverage limits and cannot meet the full cost. Although the family has considered travelling to India, where the surgery could be cheaper, they prefer to have the operation performed in the UAE. “Going to India and getting the surgery done there would be cheaper but we would preferably like to get it done in the UAE. Air travel is highly risky considering her case and needs special arrangements. That’s why we are trying our best to get it done here,” he said.