Girl dies after 13-year wait for heart surgery at AIIMS Delhi

A 15-year-old girl from Kota, Rajasthan, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi on 1 September 2026 after waiting approximately 13-14 years for cardiac surgery. Tanvi, whose age has been reported as 15-16 years in some reports, had been making rounds of AIIMS since she was a toddler for treatment of a complex congenital heart defect.

Tanvi suffered from pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (VSD), a complicated congenital heart condition in which normal blood flow from the heart to the lungs is blocked or absent. Her family first brought her to the AIIMS Delhi OPD on 10 October 2012 when she was approximately two years old. Following examinations, detailed evaluation including CT angiography, conventional angiography and cardiac catheterisation was conducted in 2013. An AIIMS document dated 31 January 2014 recommended "unifocalisation and conduit" surgery with an estimated cost of approximately Rs 1.20-1.25 lakh and mentioned four blood donors.

According to her father Mukesh Pariyani, Dr Sachin Talwar from the CTVS department asked them to deposit money and arrange blood and assured them the operation would take place. On 4 April 2014, they deposited the blood and money. Subsequently, an operation date was given during an OPD visit. When they went on 2 September 2015, they were told the operation would happen after Diwali. The family alleges that dates kept being postponed after that, sometimes citing unavailable beds and other reasons. After January 2016, they were repeatedly told the operation would not happen now and to come back later.

The family filed a complaint with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in 2016. Following the complaint, the hospital called them, but according to the family, the operation was later refused or postponed. Tests were conducted again in 2018. The father alleges that for years only tests continued, no surgery. Another complaint was filed in 2025. A call came in July 2025 but the doctor was on leave. Medicines were prescribed and they were sent home. In February 2026, another complaint was filed that tests were ongoing but the operation was not happening.

Tanvi was admitted to AIIMS on 24 August 2026 when her condition deteriorated. Evaluation for a possible heart-lung transplant was underway. Endoscopy was performed on 31 August. On 1 September at approximately 2:50 am, following complaints of fatigue and weakness, her oxygen saturation dropped to 48 per cent. Cardiac arrest occurred due to a hypoxic spell. Despite efforts, she was declared dead at 5:06 am.

The father said emotionally, "They just kept doing tests, but the operation never happened. My child is gone. Who is responsible for this? If the operation had been done in 2015, 2016 or 2017, perhaps she would have recovered. I want an investigation and strict action." Mother Bhavika Pariyani also alleged negligence and demanded justice.

AIIMS has constituted an internal committee to investigate the case, which will review clinical records, investigations, treatment, expert opinions and circumstances of the death. The hospital says evaluation for surgery was done in 2013, but in 2017-2018, corrective surgery was not considered possible due to the complex cardiac anatomy including absence of major blood vessels. After that, she was kept on medical management with medications and regular follow-up. The family also sought a second opinion, where medical management was advised as well. Transplant evaluation was underway during the final admission.