A day-old baby boy died of high fever and aspiration complications in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Government Medical College Hospital here in the small hours of Tuesday.
Nurse suspended
The neonatal death led to the suspension of the attending nurse of NICU at that time.
Speaking to The Hindu , Medical Superintendent of hospital Pugazhendhi said the baby boy of 25-year-old Kalaivani was delivered at Nallampalli PHC at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The baby was referred to government medical college hospital and was admitted at 9 p.m. to NICU with a low birth weight of 2.2 kg and weak cry.
The baby was reportedly stable on Monday morning and was discharged from the NICU by afternoon and handed over to the mother in the adjacent ward for breastfeeding. However, late Monday night, the baby developed fever and help was sought from the attending nurse.
The mother was told that high temperature might occur during feeding, and that the baby would be fine. But the baby developed respiratory distress by 3 a.m. on Tuesday and was re-admitted to the NICU.
After three hours of mechanical respiration, the baby died.
Dr. Pugazhendhi said the baby was referred by the PHC on suspicions of meconium aspiration (ingestion of stool), low birth weight, and weak cry.
The child was of healthy colour on admission, and was even handed back to the mother by Monday afternoon for feeding.
However, responding to the allegation of negligence on part of the attending nurse, and the complaint that the nurse was indifferent to the concerns of the mother and did not intervene to contain the fever immediately, he said the nurse, a casual recruit on consolidated pay, was placed under suspension.
The death of the child led to a protest by family members of Kalaivani outside the NICU.
