The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Timely treatment saves baby with lung disorder

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 22, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Timely treatment saves baby with lung disorder

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JAN. 21. A unique treatment by doctors of the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) here saved a new born baby with a serious lung disorder known as meconium aspiration syndrome with severe pulmonary hypertension.

The baby born on January 3 at a local hospital here was brought to KIMS following breathing difficulty with low blood oxygen levels. Director of the Children's Medical Centre, V. S. V. Prasad, said some fluid surrounding the baby before birth entered the lungs due to inhalation, causing severe lung swelling which sometimes causes constriction of the blood vessels. After commencing treatment for severe pulmonary hypertension, the doctors changed over to an advanced method of artificial breathing called high frequency oscillatory ventilation where the machine delivers breaths at a rate of 300 to 600 per minute. This medical life support equipment is reserved for certain types of respiratory failure.

Though the baby showed some transient improvement but suddenly became critical with dangerously low levels of oxygen in his blood. The doctors then used nitric oxide. Dr. Prasad said "when specific concentrations of this gas are fed into the breathing circuit of the ventilator the nitric oxide enters the baby's lungs and causes relaxation of the muscles of the blood vessels of the lungs."

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Andhra Pradesh