The condition of the two-year-old baby girl under treatment for battered baby syndrome at the AIIMS Trauma Centre here continues to be very critical, according to doctors at the Institute.
“The baby is on a ventilator and is very sick. She is being constantly monitored by a team of doctors. She has suffered three cardiac arrests, has bite injuries on her face, and her brain status is poor. She also has fractures on both her arms and is being treated for battered baby syndrome. We are yet to come across this degree of abuse of such a small child,'' said JPN Trauma Centre chief M.C. Misra.
The baby was brought to AIIMS on January 18.
“When the child was brought in, she was in a totally battered condition. Her head was badly smashed, her arms broken and she had bite marks all over her body. The girl who brought the child to us claiming to be the mother is a teenager and said that the child had sustained these injuries after falling from the bed which does not seem to be true. The nature of injuries that the child has sustained indicates extensive physical abuse,'' said Dr. Misra.
The child will be later examined for sexual abuse. “As of now, the child is on ventilator support and even if she does recover we think that she will have extensive brain damage which will make it impossible for her to lead a normal life. The child is under observation at the neurosurgery ICU and is in a very fragile condition,'' said the doctor.
“We got suspicious when the teenager walked in with the battered child and said that she was the mother and that the baby child was injured after a fall from the bed. We immediately informed the police because it seemed that the child had been abused and the alleged mother was lying in this case,'' added Dr. Misra.