Doctors from Apollo Cradle and Children’s Hospital in Jubilee Hills, who treated the baby, and the child’s parents during a press conference at the hospital on Saturday.

Premature baby born at 28 weeks overcomes life-threatening complications at Hyderabad hospital

by · The Hindu

A premature baby born at just 28 weeks of gestation and weighing a mere 760 grams has been discharged in a healthy condition from Apollo Cradle and Children’s Hospital, Jubilee Hills. The baby, who faced life-threatening complications, spent two months in intensive care before being discharged at a healthier weight of 1.56 kilograms, said doctors.

The baby was admitted to the hospital on August 31. Upon admission, the newborn was classified as an Extremely Low Birth Weight (ELBW) infant and faced significant complications. On the third day, an abdominal X-ray showed that there was air trapped in the baby’s belly, which pointed to a tear in the intestine. To stabilise the baby, doctors first placed a thin tube in the abdomen to drain the air. However, when the baby’s condition worsened, they performed an emergency surgery, said a release.

During the operation, doctors found and fixed a large tear in the stomach. They also placed a feeding tube directly into the small intestine to help the baby get nutrition. The baby’s feeding was slowly increased based on toleration, and close monitoring in the neonatal intensive care (NICU) unit helped ensure a smooth recovery, said Lalatendu Kumar, who led the paediatric surgery team along with NICU specialist Krishna Swaroop Reddy and both their teams.

Published - November 16, 2024 07:49 pm IST