Battling for Breath: Newborns' Struggle With Respiratory Distress In Kashmir

Srinagar: Amidst the hushed corridors of a private hospital in south Kashmir's Anantnag, a newborn baby girl fought her first battle for breath. Born through C-section into a world of uncertainty, her cries were muffled by the urgency of her rapid breathing. As her tiny chest heaved beneath the weight of a silent struggle, the newborn found refuge beneath the glass canopy of an oxygen hood.

As the clock ticked relentlessly, despair tightened its grip until the decision was made to shift her to the Children's Hospital in Bemina, where she was admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Diagnosed with Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome, she was immediately put under oxygen therapy. As the steady chorus of beeping monitors filled the air, the newborn lay ensconced under the gentle grip of a nasal cannula.

Days turned into nights, until finally, the newborn emerged victorious from the clutches of life threatening disorder. Yet, as one story found its resolution, countless others continued to unfold within the confines of the hospital ward. Each newborn, a warrior in their own right, battled against the invisible foe that threatened to steal their breath away.

"The most frequent reason for a newborn to be admitted to the intensive care unit (NICU) is respiratory distress which has various etiologies but similar clinical presentations," Senior Consultant Physician, Dr Suhail

Ahmad Naik said.

Dr. Suhail added, "We cannot say how prevalent it may be, since the rate of any condition is determined by its denominators, which is impractical given that RDS is a frequent disorder in newborns.”

A research on the morbidity profile and outcome of lowbirth-weight infants conducted by Department of Pediatrics, Government Medical College Baramulla, found respiratory distress as one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality.

Another study titled, "The epidemiology of neonatal respiratory distress in a tertiary care neonatal centre Kashmir India'' conducted by the department of pediatrics, Government College of Medicine, Srinagar, revealed a significant rate of respiratory distress and NICU hospitalizations in Kashmir. However, the study shows that the risk of Newborn Respiratory Distress Syndrome (NRDS) was shown to be higher in neonates born via Lower Segment Cesarean Section (LSCS)—the most common mode of delivery—than in the babies delivered via normal spontaneous vaginal delivery (NSVD).

According to the study, Transient Tachypnea of Newborn (TTN) was the most common cause of distress in term newborns, followed by perinatal asphyxia, meconium aspiration, neonatal sepsis, and congenital heart diseases (CHD).

Various studies conducted worldwide have pointed out that cesarean section is a risk factor for RDS because the fetus absorbs about one-third of the fetal lung fluid during vaginal delivery,whereas proper absorption of fetal lung fluid is not achieved in infants delivered through a cesarean section.

Head of the Department of Pediatrics at the Government Children Hospital, Dr. Khurshid Wani, endorsed the Government College of Medicines study and saying that caesarean section increases the risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) because, in normal

to be admitted to the intensive care unit (NICU) is respiratory distress which has various etiologies but similar clinical presentations.”