AIIMS forms panel after Tanvi dies amid heart surgery delay claims

AIIMS has formed a committee to examine the treatment history and death of 15-year-old Tanvi. The review comes amid her family's allegations that corrective heart surgery was postponed for years.Tanvi's parents had been taking her for cardiology related treatment at AIIMS, Delhi from the age of 1 yearThe All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi has constituted a committee to examine the case of Tanvi, a 15-year-old patient with a complex congenital heart condition who died on September 1 after being under the institute’s care for nearly 14 years.The action follows media reports and concerns raised over Tanvi’s long wait for corrective heart surgery, which her parents have alleged kept getting postponed for years.Their video message on delayed surgery for Tanvi that subsequently resulted in her death, had gone viral on social media amid concerns about piling surgery loads, delays in treatment of serious patients and long waits for life-saving procedures at the prestigious government hospital.In a statement released on September 2, the institute said Tanvi was first evaluated at the AIIMS Cardiology OPD on October 10, 2012, when she was diagnosed with ventricular septal defect (VSD) with pulmonary atresia, a serious congenital condition in which the normal route for blood to flow from the heart to the lungs is absent or severely blocked. She was subsequently referred to the cardiac surgery team to assess whether the defect could be surgically corrected.During 2013, she underwent multiple investigations, including CT angiography, conventional angiography and cardiac catheterisation, to establish the anatomy of her heart and determine whether surgery was possible.‘SURGERY DEEMED UNFEASIBLE’ According to AIIMS, the treating team concluded in 2017 that corrective surgery was not feasible because of the complexity of her cardiac anatomy. She was instead advised by medical management and regular follow-up.The case, however, remained under medical review. As per the details shared, the family stayed in contact with the institute and also sought opinions elsewhere about the possibility of surgery.As recently as last year, the then Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) at AIIMS reportedly advised continuing medical management. Another senior cardiothoracic surgeon consulted by the family also advised against surgical intervention.Tanvi was brought back to AIIMS on August 24 this year after her condition deteriorated. Doctors evaluated her, including for the possibility of a heart-lung transplant, given the advanced stage of her cardiac disease.The teenager died in the early hours of September 1.COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE RECORDSThe AIIMS committee will examine the sequence of events, clinical records, investigations, treatment provided, opinions of specialists and the circumstances surrounding her death. An autopsy is also underway, with its findings expected to be considered alongside the medical records.The committee’s enquiry could be significant in the wake of serious allegations of repeated surgery postponement by the patient’s family.The premium central government institute has said it will await the committee’s findings and the autopsy before drawing conclusions about the circumstances of her death.- EndsPublished On: Sep 2, 2026 19:32 IST