A newborn diagnosed with a rare cardiac condition was treated at a city hospital. The neonate is doing well, the doctors said.
A woman from Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh was admitted in Dr. Mehta’s Hospital for delivery. She was delivered of twins, one boy weighing 1.040 kg and another 750 gm, in the 28th week of pregnancy.
While one baby was discharged after four weeks, the other one with low weight remained in hospital for six weeks. The infant was diagnosed with cardiac tamponade, a rare medical condition where fluid accumulates around heart muscle, placing excessive pressure on the organ.
The excess fluid was drained and the blood pressure was stabilised. The neonate had a stormy course in the ICU and required three doses of surfactant and 10 days of mechanical ventilation, followed by non-invasive ventilation as its lungs were premature, said consultant neonatologist B. Arun Krishnan.
Treatment for cardiac tamponade involves draining the excess fluid from the pericardium, stabilising blood pressure, and treating the underlying cause, said paediatric cardiologist C. Shanthi.
When the baby’s weight touched 1.3 kg, it was discharged. The cost of the procedure was subsidised considering the family’s financial constraints, a hospital release said.
