Baby weighing just 600 grams survives
Baby Adel in good health after 160 days in hospital and two surgeries
Ababy born in Abu Dhabi at 23 weeks’ gestation, and weighing only 600 grams at delivery, has been sent home in good health after more than five months in hospital. After two surgical procedures and a 160-day stay at the for Women and Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Baby Adel was in good health and weighed 3.88 kilograms at discharge.
‘Rare survival’
Dr Duaa Al Masri, neonatology consultant who cared for Adel at the hospital, said: “Baby Adel was born by spontaneous vaginal delivery on March 20 at the first day of week 23 of pregnancy, and is one among very rare cases of survival. In fact, survival rates for children born at week 23 of pregnancy is between 10 to 30 per cent, according to international studies, but we held on to hope.”
The baby’s breathing was very faint and his heart was weak, so he was admitted to the NICU right away. “We conducted a series of urgent medical procedures to preserve his life, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was also placed on a mechanical ventilator and fed with intravenous nutrition.”
Eleven days after his birth, Adel needed surgical intervention because there was a hole in his small intestine, and his condition wasn’t improving despite treatment with antibiotics and some other medicines. A surgery was performed to remove parts of the damaged intestine, and also to create an opening at the beginning of the small intestine to change the pathway of food to the outside of his body. This gave time for the rest of intestine to heal, and at the same time, prepared him for the second corrective surgery.
Two months later, the paediatric surgical team performed the second surgery to close the hole, and correct the position of the intestines, the doctor added.
Adel’s condition began to improve gradually after the procedures, to the delight of his parents. Baby Adel’s family were delighted to take him home.