'Miracle babies': Chennai twins born prematurely at 24 weeks brave hernia, heart defect to survive

Doctors at Chennai hospital gave a new lease of life to twin sisters termed ldquomiracle babiesrdquo born prematurely at 24 weeksThe babies weighing 620 gm twin 1 and 720 gm twin 2 underwent surgeries for managing hernia and a congenital heart defect and were on ventilator support for two months said the doctors at Cloudnine Hospital ChennaildquoIn this case both the twins were born micropreemies at 24 weeks and are indeed miracle babies as they had to undergo two major lifethreatening surgeries for treating hernia and Patent Ductus Arteriosus PDA a congenital heart defect Both the twins were very sick and their survival was doubtful in the early days of birthrdquo said Dr Dhilip Kumar S senior consultant ndash Neonatologist and Paediatrician at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals Chennai OMR branch saidldquoThey suffered from chronic lung disease and were on ventilator support for two months because their lungs were too immature to wean off the ventilator support Many times we as doctors felt that these twins would not survive but patience and perseverance are the key to managing these extreme preterm babiesrdquo Dr Dhilip addedThe girls were born to a Chennaibased couple after multiple failed pregnancy attempts The mother aged 36 was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix during a routine hospital checkup She also had a medical history involving chronic hypertension fever and amniotic fluid leakageDuring the 15th week of her pregnancy she underwent cervical cerclage a procedure in which the cervix is temporarily stitched and closed However at 24 weeks the mothers cervix prematurely opened weakened and shortened while she was carrying twin babies in her womb and experienced persistent high blood pressure and feverShortly after birth the babies had a drop in weight to 520 gm twin 1 and 590 gm twin 2 and also faced breathing difficulties and required ventilator supportNeither of the twin sisters opened their eyes for the first two weeks and their length measured a little over 13 inchesLater twin 1 was diagnosed with stage 4 chronic lung disease experiencing multiple lung collapses and unsuccessful extubation attempts leading to prolonged dependence on oxygen for 90 days in the neonatal intensive care unit NICUShe was also diagnosed with an inguinal hernia due to immature abdominal wall muscles necessitating surgery to correct the conditionTwin 2 did not cry at birth and also exhibited a low heart rate along with skin bleeding An echocardiogram revealed the presence of a large patent ductus arteriosus PDA a congenital heart defect where the ductus arteriosus fails to close after birthWhile the ductus arteriosus serves as a vital foetal circulation route allowing blood to bypass the lungs before birth it should naturally close shortly after birth However in Twin 2s case medical treatment failed to produce the desired response resulting in the need for openheart surgery to address the condition the doctor saidFollowing 105 days of stay at the hospital the twins were discharged to return home while they weighed 22 kg Twin 1 and 23 kg Twin 2 respectively the doctors saidThis 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