Doctors at a corporate hospital saved the life of a newborn by treating him with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support. ECMO is a method in which blood is drawn out of the body and oxygen is mixed with it using a special by-pass pump-circuit. The blood is then pumped back into the body.
The device works as artificial lungs, and is used to take over its function. That gives rest to the organ, helping in its recovery.
A woman from Uppal here delivered the baby boy at a private hospital through emergency caesarean section because of meconium stained amniotic fluid in the foetus’ lungs. Meconium is the first stool of newborns. Usually, newborns do not pass stool in the womb. However, in rare cases, they do and it aspirates into their lungs around delivery time. If that happens, a newborn develops difficulty in breathing. At times, it could turn severe, necessitating high-level medical intervention.
The baby boy was doing well right after birth, but soon developed difficulty in breathing. Though doctors there put him on a mechanical ventilator and offered other treatment, his medical condition continued to worsen. He was referred to KIMS Hospitals for ECMO support.
Consultant Paediatric Intensivist Dr V. Nanda Kishore said the baby was put on ECMO immediately and his condition was stabilised. It was initiated by small operative procedure by a paediatric cardiac surgeon. The ECMO support was provided for five days, and the newborn spent another five days in intensive care.
He has been discharged. Dr Nanda Kishore said that condition of the boy is good.
