Covid-infected infant with intestinal disease cured after rare surgery

Ranchi: The 25-day-old Covid infected newborn from Palamu, who was admitted at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) here last month with intestinal perforation with slim chances of survival, got a new lease of life after doctors performed a rare surgery.
The infant was admitted on August 29 with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a common disease among newborns in which a portion of the bowel becomes non-functional owing to sepsis. Even though the patient was extremely weak and chances of her survival were weak, Dr Abhishek Ranjan, associate professor of the paediatric department at Rims, went out on a limb and decided to operate on her. However, the doctor’s plans got derailed after the baby’s parents abandoned her on September 3 soon after she tested positive for Covid-19.
With help from volunteers arranged by the district administration, Dr Abhishek took care of the baby after shifting her to an isolated NICU and operated on her on Monday morning. The operation was around 90-minutes-long as part of which doctors, wearing PPE gear, removed a portion of her intestine.
“The surgery was tough as the baby was too weak to tolerate it and we had to wait till her vitals and nutrient level improved. We administered several dosages of platelets before operating on her on Monday,” Dr Abhishek said.
He added, “The baby’s vitals have improved and she is now on a fluid diet and is passing stool properly. The first 48 hours are very critical for such patients and she is recovering fast. We will start feeding her milk from Thursday and once she tests negative for Covid-19, she will be discharged.”
Her grandparents, who had arrived at the hospital on September 5 after a local police team tracked them down, were extremely thankful to the doctors. “I had lost all hope and was full of uncertainty when I arrived here with my wife. But the doctors took care of my granddaughter as their own daughter and we are relieved that she is okay now,” said Asarfi Sao, the baby’s grandfather.