Newborn girl from Kutch survives rare congenital defect after complex surgery

A newborn girl born with a rare and lifethreatening congenital defect was successfully treated at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital after doctors performed a complex surgery to restore her breathing Gujarat health officials said on FridayThe infant was born through normal delivery on May 1 in Naliya town of Kutch district to the family of labourer Anmol NodThe baby weighed 2 kg at birth and developed severe breathing difficulties immediately after delivery She was initially treated at local hospitals before being referred to Bhuj where she underwent six days of intensive treatmentAs her condition did not improve she was later shifted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on May 8 and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICU under the supervision of Dr Charul Mehta Head of Unit of the Paediatric DepartmentDoctors said the infant was diagnosed with bilateral choanal atresia an extremely rare congenital condition in which both nasal passages are blocked from the back preventing a newborn from breathing through the noseMedical Superintendent of Civil Hospital and Head of the Paediatric Surgery Department Dr Rakesh Joshi said doctors suspected the condition during examination when a Rylersquos tube could not be passed through the babyrsquos noseldquoDuring examination a Rylersquos tube could not be passed through the nose which raised suspicion of a blockage A CT ScanPNS Paranasal Sinuses later confirmed bilateral choanal atresiardquo Dr Joshi saidFollowing the diagnosis the baby was immediately placed on oxygen support through an oral tubeDoctors later decided to perform an Endoscopic Transnasal Choanoplasty surgery on May 12 ldquoIn this highly delicate surgery the blocked nasal passage was cleared and the breathing pathway was completely opened through septatectomyrdquo Dr Joshi saidHe added that Assistant Professor Dr Mrunalini and her anaesthesia team handled the administration of anaesthesia during the surgeryldquoThe anaesthesia team successfully managed the delicate responsibility of administering anaesthesia to the newborn during this complex procedurerdquo he saidAfter the operation the baby was shifted back to the NICU for postoperative care Doctors Charul Mehta Komal Chaudhary and Priyanka Gajjar closely monitored the child while she remained on ventilator support for five daysOn the fifth day the ventilator support was withdrawn and the nasal tubes inserted during treatment were gradually removed ldquoAt present Baby Anmol is completely healthy She is breathing naturally through her nose without any support and is feeding properly on motherrsquos milkrdquo Dr Joshi saidMinister of State for Health Praful Pansheriya said the successful treatment highlighted the capability of Gujaratrsquos governmentrun civil hospitals to provide advanced treatment free of cost to economically weaker patientsldquoSuch highly complex and sensitive surgeries which cost lakhs of rupees in private hospitals have been performed completely free of cost at Ahmedabad Civil Hospitalrdquo Pansheriya saidHe said the successful outcome reflected the advanced technology skilled doctors and multidisciplinary teamwork available at the hospital ldquoThe entire Civil Hospital team deserves congratulations for giving a new life to the beloved daughter of a poor familyrdquo the minister addedDoctors said bilateral choanal atresia is a rare congenital defect seen in approximately one out of every 5000 to 8000 births and is more common among female infantsBabies suffering from the condition are unable to breathe through the nose and can take in limited air through the mouth only while crying making the condition a medical emergency because of the risk of severe oxygen deficiencyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever