When he was born at the end of last year, the ultra-premature baby boy (pseudonym), who was only 24 weeks gestational, weighed only 385 grams, his skin was only the size of a palm, his skin was transparent, his thighs were only the thickness of an adult's index finger, and his breathing was weak.
After the full treatment and careful care of the neonatology team of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (hereinafter referred to as "Guangzhou Medical Third Hospital"), his vital signs are now stable, and his weight reached 4,460 grams when he was discharged on June 14, an increase of more than 10 times.
It is understood that this is not only the lowest weight premature baby successfully treated by the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Hospital, but also sets a new record for the minimum survival weight critically ill premature baby that can be treated in Guangdong Province.
He weighed only 385 grams at birth (left) and weighed 4460 grams when he was discharged (right)
High-risk pregnancy for second-child mothers
The pregnancy had to be terminated early at 24 weeks
Ms. Gu (pseudonym), 37 years old this year, has always wanted to have another Erbao. She has been very careful about her diet since she became pregnant in June last year, but she still had an accident at 22 weeks of pregnancy, she had chronic high blood pressure.
On December 16, 2022, Ms. Gu, who was 22 weeks pregnant, was transferred from a local hospital to the Guangzhou Intensive Maternal Treatment Center of the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Medical Center due to "chronic hypertension complicated by severe preeclampsia".
Severe preeclampsia is a high-risk pregnancy, and serious complications such as heart failure, pulmonary edema, eclampsia, cerebrovascular accident, placental abruption, fetal death in utero may occur at any time if the pregnancy continues, endangering the life safety of the mother and fetus. However, if the pregnancy is terminated immediately at this time, the chances of survival after the fetus is delivered are extremely low due to the low gestational age.
After multidisciplinary consultation and discussion, the Department of Obstetrics of the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Medical Center took a series of treatment measures to prolong the gestational age as much as possible. However, Ms. Gu's blood pressure continued to soar, and her multiple organ functions were impaired.
After full consultation with the family, on December 28, 2022, Ms. Gu, who was 24 weeks pregnant, had to terminate her pregnancy early. The neonatal department of the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Medical Center immediately launched the plan to escort the smooth birth every year.
Soon, Ms. Gu delivered a "palm-sized" baby boy by cesarean section, weighing only 385 grams, with transparent jelly-like skin all over the body, thighs only as thick as an adult's index finger, mouth only the size of "peanut rice", and weak and irregular breathing.
Before Ms. Gu could take a look at the baby, he was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for treatment.
It is extremely difficult to treat!
Every step is like "stepping on a tightrope"
Upon arrival at the NICU, the baby is put on invasive ventilator support. Because his skin was as tender as jelly and his blood vessels were as thin as hair, he could not withstand conventional venipuncture, and the doctor placed a catheter at the umbilical vein that had not yet closed within 1 hour after birth, and successfully inserted a precious "life channel" - umbilical vein catheter to provide him with nutrition and infusion of therapeutic drugs.
Neonatology treatment team of the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Medical Hospital
"Due to low gestational age, severe intrauterine growth retardation, and intrauterine infection, the bronchi and lungs are poorly developed every year, and severe respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary hypertension, and severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia develop." Wu Fan, chief physician of the neonatal department of the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Medical Hospital, said.
The medical team observes and records subtle changes every day. After 57 days, the baby successfully transitioned from invasive to non-invasive respiratory support.
Despite the careful care of the neonatal medical team, due to the weak immunity of ultra-premature infants, the baby still developed severe sepsis, causing capillary leakage, and once edema like a leather ball, and the skin of the whole body could be broken. The medical team did their best to save the child from death.
In addition, the baby also suffered from neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, patent ductus arteriosus, neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis, acute renal insufficiency, retinopathy of prematurity, feeding difficulties, inguinal oblique hernia, growth retardation... With the concerted efforts of all the medical staff and family members of the NICU of the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Medical Center, he has overcome one difficulty after another.
Successfully cleared!
The "palm baby" was safely discharged from the hospital
After 104 days of clearance, in April this year, he was transferred from the NICU to the mother-infant room-inward and returned to his mother's arms. Subsequently, he was successfully removed from respiratory support and oxygen therapy every year, and all physical indicators were normal.
On June 14, Niannian finally ushered in the moment of reunion with his family, his vital signs were stable, and his weight reached 4460 grams.
"I feel very distressed when I think of all this that the baby has gone through, and I am really grateful for the help of the doctors and nurses, without them there would be no baby today." Ms. Gu said with tears in her eyes.
The relevant person in charge of the three hospitals of Guangzhou Medical Center said that in the future, it will pay close attention to the development of each year and evaluate its situation in time through growth and development follow-up.
It is reported that as a key clinical specialty in Guangdong Province, a provincial critical neonatal treatment center, and a provincial and municipal neonatal health care specialty specialty, since 2018, the Third Hospital of Guangzhou Medical Center has successfully treated dozens of ultra-low birth weight infants with a birth weight of less than 600 grams, and in the past two years, ultra-premature infants with a gestational age of 25 weeks and below have been successfully treated, with an overall treatment success rate of more than 60%. In 2022, the hospital successfully treated a 438-gram premature baby, and the 385-gram baby successfully treated this time is the lowest weight superpremature baby successfully treated in Guangdong Province.
Text, photo/Guangzhou Daily Xinhuacheng reporter: Weng Shuxian trainee reporter Xu Yili correspondent Bai Tian, Zhang Xunkai
Source: Guangzhou Daily