Karachi: The doctors of the Aga Khan University Hospital have performed a remarkable feat by performing a successful bedside surgery to treat the hernia of a newborn baby.
The surgery was performed in a neonatal intensive care unit as opposed to an operating room, a first of its kind, performed at the child’s bedside.
The baby, born on April 25, 2023 at the Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care Center in Hyderabad, had difficulty breathing soon after birth and was diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). CDH occurs when the diaphragm that separates the abdomen from the chest fails to close properly, causing the abdominal organs to move into the space around the chest, a condition that affects the development of the lungs and heart. May cause obstruction and is potentially fatal to newborns.
In view of the critical condition of the child, he was immediately shifted to the Stadium Road Campus of Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi where he was intubated and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Despite receiving the best care, his condition was critical and surgery was the only solution for his CDH, which presented a unique challenge to the team of doctors.
As the baby’s unstable condition made it impossible to transport him to the operating room and a different approach was needed, experts at the Aga Khan University Hospital converted the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit into an operating theatre. which met all the requirements for surgery and sterile conditions.
The team under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Aqil Soomro, Department Head of Pediatric Surgery at Aga Khan University Hospital, successfully performed the bedside surgery on April 29, 2023. The two-hour operation was completed without any major complications, the child’s breathing improved after the surgery and significant improvement was seen with artificial respiration and gradual weaning of medication. Finally, on May 7, 2023, the child was discharged from the hospital and sent home.
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