Gurugram: In a rare case, doctors save baby born with intestines outside body

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In a rare case, a baby born with a condition where the intestines were protruding outside the body, was given a new lease of life by doctors here.

The baby girl born to Punjab-based Sakshi Shukla had an uncommon congenital condition, called gastroschisis.

Gastroschisis is a rare birth defect where the baby's intestines exit the body from a hole beside the umbilical cord during fetal development.

This can be life-threatening if not corrected surgically immediately after birth, said doctors at Medanta Hospital Gurugram.

Shukla was alerted of the congenital defect in the foetus during the Level-2 scan, done at 18-20 weeks of pregnancy, following which she came to the hospital.

"When the patient came to us at 26 weeks, we first ruled out any associated developmental problems as associated soft tissue and developmental anomalies can throw up challenges. We recommended close follow-ups to ensure the foetus was not at risk of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or premature delivery," said Dr Preeti Rastogi, Director, Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Medanta.

"In gastroschisis, it is crucial that the baby is born at term because prematurity adds additional risks and complications to an already difficult situation. At 37 weeks, since our patient was beginning to show early signs of severe oligohydramnios (decreased amniotic fluid) and there was decreased foetal movement, we took her up for an elective caesarean section. Although IUGR had set in, the baby weighed 2.3kg at birth and had fully developed organs, making the surgery safer," she added.

Soon after the birth, the surgical team worked to ensure the intestines did not dry out and covered them properly in a polythene wrap to keep them moist, and protected from germs and contaminants.

They also ensured there were no blockages or malrotation, before starting the surgery two hours later.

After the surgery, the baby was brought back to the NICU, and ventilated for 48 hours.

She started accepting gastric feeds on day five of life. Till then she was fed intravenously a mixture of amino acids, fats, carbohydrates, and electrolytes (total parenteral nutrition), the doctors said, adding that the baby was discharged after 12 days.

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