Similar cases

UDAIPUR: He weighed merely 470 grams at birth and was just the size of a palm. He was born prematurely after 28 weeks (5.5 months). His eyes hadn’t opened, lungs weren’t developed, skin resembled parchment paper, too fragile and delicate to touch, and he had heart complications.After 15 days of birth, he underwent a heart surgery and has now become the tiniest miracle baby to have undergone a PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) corrective operation.The case has become a milestone in medical history, especially for Rajasthan, as it proves that tiny babies can be operated and salvaged here also and not just in the developed countries boasting of modern technologies.Baby S P Jain, as he is referred to by his father’s name, is fine and weighs around 600 grams now. His parents had conceived after many years of marriage through IVF procedure. The mother delivered him by lower segment caesarean section.However, the baby developed breathing difficulties and was placed under expert care.Doctors found that the baby suffered from a condition in which two major blood vessels of heart – aorta and pulmonary artery, were connected.Normally, the connection between the arteries remains till the fetus is in mother’s womb. It automatically disconnects after childbirth. If it doesn’t, it has to be treated with medicines. In this case, when the infant didn’t respond to medicines, heart surgery was the last option.The team of experts from Geetanjali Medical College & Hospital and Jeevanta Hospital conducted the surgery successfully.“Operating on an infant, especially when he is so tiny, is very challenging and risky as the body parts are extremely premature. There were many risks involved like respiratory distress syndrome, brain/lungs internal bleeding, feeding intolerance, developmental problems, etc., and above all survival rate upto 55% only,” said cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Dr Sanjay Gandhi, who had earlier performed a similar operation on a neonate weighing 700 grams at a hospital in Jaipur last year.It was the baby’s low weight that prompted the doctors to operate in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) as shifting him from one hospital to another and then to an operation theatre could be life threatening.A team of surgeons, anaesthetists and nursing staff conducted the surgery that lasted for half an hour.“The baby had very weak muscles, rib cage and almost all the body parts were very weak. It was like walking on a tight rope but we succeeded,” said Dr Sunil Jangid, chief neonatologist and paediatric intensivist.Special miniaturized surgical equipments were used and the baby finally survived all odds.The parents are keeping their fingers crossed as the infant is still in intensive care.“We still haven’t thought of a name for our son. It is no less than a miracle. He is so brave that he has survived so many odds with such low weight being a pre-term neonate. Our prayers are answered,” said the parents with tearful eyes.A 24-week-old baby weighing 489 grams underwent a similar surgery in Medicana International Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2016.In India, a 27.6-week-baby weighing 550 grams survived the surgery in 2014 at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.