Indian doctors perform brain surgery on a 20 days old premature baby

Doctors at a private hospital perform a rare feat by carrying out brain surgery on a 20-day baby boy weighing just 1.1160 kg. .The baby was one among the twins born preterm at Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad.

The baby was born prematurely at 33 weeks and was being treated for several health issues including respiratory distress and perinatal asphyxia. when he suffered from seizures on the 19th day. His MRI revealed a large clot on the left side of the brain. Doctors promptly went for surgery lasting 3 hours and removed the life-threatening blood clot from the brain which caused a seizure in the neonate. The condition would have proved fatal had it not been treated immediately.

The treating doctors at Faridabad-based, Sarvodaya Hospital & Research Centre claim that this is for the first time that they performed brain surgery that involved opening the skull on such a small baby. This is perhaps first such instance in India or maybe in the world.

Sarvodaya Hospital has applied for LimcaBook of Records and Guinness Book of World Records to recognize this unheard-of surgical feat.

Explaining the case, Dr Pankaj Dawar, Senior Consultant, Centre for Brain & Spine, Sarvodaya Hospital &Research Centre, said: “At birth, the baby weighed 1160 kg, but had perinatal asphyxia and respiratory distress thereafter and was immediately admitted to Sarvodaya Hospital. He was put on a ventilator for five days. On the 19th day of his birth, the baby suffered from a seizure. An MRI scan revealed a large intracranial blood clot inside the skull, probably from the bleeding disorder. On Day 19 of his birth and weighing only 1.160 kg, he was wheeled into the operation theatre for brain surgery. His skull was opened to expose her brain (mini-craniotomy) and the blood clot (hematoma) was successfully removed. With this, he has become the baby with the lowest weight to ever undergo brain surgery in India and probably in the world.”

Added Dr Manish Pahuja, Consultant, Department of Anaesthesia, Sarvodaya Hospital and Research Centre: “Brain surgery of a baby of such low weight has not been done before in the country. This requires very careful consideration and specialized equipment for anaesthesia.