A three-day-old baby, who had a severe lung infection at birth, was saved when she was put on an ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) by doctors at Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, recently.
On Saturday at a press conference, Binu Ninan, head of department, Neonatalogy, explained that the baby had aspirated its meconium – the faeces excreted before birth – while in the womb and this caused a life-threatening lung infection.
The baby was put on a ventilator immediately after birth but her condition continued to deteriorate.
T. Periasamy, head of department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, suggested the baby be hooked onto an ECMO, in a last-ditch attempt to save her life.
What this essentially did was to breathe for the baby, so that her lungs could take the time to bounce back.
“The baby was weaned off the machine on the seventh day,” said Dr. Periasamy.
The baby’s condition has improved. “This is the first successful case in India, and we want more hospitals in the city to know about the procedure,” Dr. Ninan said.
