United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi – 21st November, 2016: Medeor24x7 Hospital Abu Dhabi’s renowned Neonatal Unit marked a historical milestone with the delivery of its smallest patient, a baby girl, born after a 26.5-week gestation.
Being referred to as a ‘miracle baby’, the little girl, who weighed only 631gm, was safely delivered after a high-risk pregnancy due to the efforts and expertise of the multi-specialty family hospital’s Obstetrics and advanced Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) led by Dr. Govinda Shenoy, Head – Neonatology Unit, and Dr. Mary Roberts, Senior – Obstetrician, with the assistance of experienced medical staff from the Hospital’s Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, Cardiology, Ophthalmology and Radiology departments along with expert Laboratory personnel.
“The timely intervention and delivery of the baby was important as the mother, who had a high risk pregnancy, came to us displaying symptoms of severe preeclampsia, which is a pregnancy related complication that is accompanied by high blood pressure and potential damage to organs. She was also carrying a growth retarded fetus with oligo-hydramnios (a lack of amniotic fluid around the foetus) and absent end diastolic flow (a condition which increases the risk of fetal and neonatal mortality). The baby was successfully delivered by a Lower (uterine) Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS) procedure, after which both mother and infant were kept under careful observation. The baby was placed under the care of the expert neonatology team in the state-of-the-art neonatal unit,” said Dr. Shenoy,who set up Medeor 24×7 Abu Dhabi’s Level 3 NICU, with all its modern facilities and equipment.
Dr. Shenoy said that the care of preterm babies was critical especially for infants as young as 26 weeks and weighing under 1000gm, as these factors could pose several serious health risks for the child. “These include Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Pneumothorax (abnormal collection of fluid in the pleural area), Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, intraventricular and intracranial bleeding leading to post hemorrhagic Hydrocephalus, Patent Ductus Arteriosis (a condition that causes cardiac problems), Retinopathy caused by prematurity that can lead to blindness, Birth Asphyxia, Hypoxia and Hemorrhage leading to convulsions and other neurological deficits later in life.
“Other dreaded complications include Septicaemia and Meningitis and the possibility of developing Necrotizing Enterocolitis. Feeding problems, intolerance of feeds and electrolyte imbalance is quite common. Anaemia caused due to prematurity (which requires multiple blood transfusions) and Osteopenia are other problems commonly seen in preterm babies who are severely underweight,” added Dr. Shenoy.
This case is one of the many that have been treated recently at Medeor 24×7 Hospital Abu Dhabi’s Level 3 NICU. Dr. Shenoy said, “We are seeing an increasing demand for intensive care for more preterm babies in Abu Dhabi, and we are well positioned and trained to fulfill the demands of the community and provide the best overall care for babies in Abu Dhabi.”
Medeor 24×7 Hospital Abu Dhabi’s Neonatal Unit is one of the premier facilities in the country to handle such cases. The level 3 NICU facility is set up to care for preterm babies from the 26th week onwards, with specialized care offered for high-risk neonates and neonatal resuscitation. The unit has advanced NICU care for premature neonates, ventilator care of sick newborns and preterm infants, using conventional ventilation and high frequency ventilation. The Unit’s Neonatologists, Neonatal Nurses, Respiratory Therapists and Nutritionists are available round the clock. It also offers special medical care such as cerebral cooling facilities for newborns with hypoxic brain injuries along with the monitoring of cerebral functioning. Other facilities include normal and intensive Phototherapy, Pediatric Ambulance, Pediatric Ultrasound and Neonatal Echocardiography machines, among others.
These facilities and the combined efforts of the multidisciplinary team played an important role in the successful delivery of Medeor 24×7 Hospital Abu Dhabi’s ‘miracle baby’. “We are very proud of the efforts of our team of specialists and medical staff. The mother and child have shown a remarkable recovery, with the baby’s weight increasing to 2050gm. The baby is doing really well and her parents are very grateful to the team for saving her life. They really consider her a miracle baby. She is getting stronger and we are really very happy to see her progress so well,” said Dr. Roberts.
