Rare Surgery At Hyderabad Hospital Saves 3-Day-Old Baby With Diaphragmatic Defect

Doctors at the Little Star Children's Hospital, Hyderabad, repositioned the intestines, and liver into the chest cavity of the newborn in a groundbreaking procedure

Hyderabad: Doctors at Little Star Children's Hospital here claimed to have achieved a remarkable feat by successfully performing a rare life-saving surgery on a newborn, who had a severe diaphragmatic defect.

The baby, born to an NRI couple from Hyderabad living in Saudi Arabia, was diagnosed with a rare condition called diaphragmatic hernia, in which the diaphragm is formed improperly. The patient also remains at risk of dislocation of internal organs such as the intestines, liver, and kidneys towards the chest cavity.

Experts said the condition is present in one in every 10,000 births and is a life-threatening situation for newborns.

According to the hospital spokesperson, the complex surgery was conducted last month and took more than four hours as it involved making small incisions in the baby's chest.

“Doctors had to insert an artificial diaphragm made of Portex mesh. The team of doctors meticulously repositioned the organs, intestines, and liver back into their proper positions before placing the artificial diaphragm,” he said.

Senior neonatologist Dr Satish Ganta said the artificial diaphragm would naturally merge with the surrounding muscles and tissue and become a permanent and functional part of the baby's anatomy. “The surgery was 100 per cent successful and there would be no issue in the baby as he grows,” he said.

Dr Gupta said the baby was put under close monitoring for three weeks after the surgery, and “luckily he showed significant improvement.”.

Read More