Preterm Baby Born At 30-weeks Treated For Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia At Gleneagles Global Health City

~ Doctors Perform an Open Thoracotomy Repair of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia to save the life of a preterm baby of 30 weeks gestation

Chennai, 29th November, 2022: Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai (GGHC), today, announces the successful treatment of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) in a preterm baby of 30 weeks. The open thoracotomy was performed by Dr. Moorthy G, Paediatric & Neonatal Surgeon along with Dr. Shreela S Pauliah, HOD – Senior Consultant – Neonatologist, Dr. Padmapriya Vivek, HOD – Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Infertility, Dr. Madhurima S, Clinical Lead and Senior Consultant – Department of Anaesthesia and SICU and Dr. Sudheer Babu Vanga, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia – Intensive Care Unit.

Elaborating on the case, Dr. Shreela Pauliah, Senior Consultant – Neonatologist, and Dr. Padmapriya Vivek, HOD – Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Infertility, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai said, “It was an endearing moment to save the life of the preterm baby through a thoracotomy to correct the CDH. The baby’s intestine, stomach, and spleen were pushed into the chest through the hernial defect from the left side resulting in poorly developed left lung, moving the heart towards the right and causing issues with blood circulation. Preterm babies as such have multiple issues with breathing difficulty, feeding intolerance, and increased rates of infection owing to immaturity. In this case, the challenge was compounded by the very early onset diaphragmatic hernia.  Dr. Moorthy and the team of anaesthesiologists performed a 2-hour corrective surgery to repair the diaphragm. After nearly 10 days of ventilator support, the baby was able to tolerate feeds slowly and is now ready for discharge.

“Surgical repair of the diaphragmatic defect is a challenging task in preterm babies as the diaphragm is only partially developed and pushing back the intestines, stomach and spleen into the abdomen is extremely challenging and can cause more pressure to the corrective surgery. Despite having serious issues, our team has successfully managed and saved this baby. Diagnosing this life-threatening defect during pregnancy and electively delivering at a tertiary neonatal center is the key for this success.”, said Dr. Moorthy G, Paediatric Surgeon, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai.

The 30-week premature baby weighing 1.45 kgs, was born to young parents after 4 years of marriage. Despite a burdening diagnosis of CDH in their baby from 25 weeks onwards, the parents were very keen to continue with the pregnancy after going through several counseling sessions with the team of doctors to take an informed decision. The mother, unfortunately, was wheeled in for delivery after she went into preterm labour in the 30th week of pregnancy. The baby required ventilator support with nitric oxide to help increase blood circulation in the underdeveloped lung; along with prescription of medications to increase and maintain blood pressure.

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, a condition where a hole in the diaphragm causes the intestines and other abdominal organs to enter the chest cavity, is a rare defect and occurs in 1 in 5000 babies. The survival rate of such preterm babies is only up to 30% and may affect the quality of life. However, early identification and timely intervention by experts can save the life of the baby.  

Congratulating the team on the success of the case, Dr. Alok Khullar, CEO, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai, said, “It is another moment of celebration at Gleneagles Global Health City to see a preterm baby getting to normalcy due to the expert intervention of our doctors. This particular surgery could be considered a benchmark procedure and many such instances of CDH can be treated making life normal for the child.”


About Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai:

Gleneagles Global Health City at Perumbakkam – Sholinganallur, Chennai is one of India’s most renowned multi-organ transplant centers. It is also one of the top care multi-specialty hospitals in the city with path-breaking Liver, Neuro, Heart, Lung, and Kidney procedures to its credit and legacy. The NABH, NABL, and NABB accredited hospital operates 200+ beds. A modern CathLab, 13 operation theatres, and advanced imaging services (TruBeam STx, Slice PET CT, and Tesla MRI) offer cutting-edge emergency and critical care management following internationally approved clinical protocols. 

Over 10 years of clinical excellence has earned the hospital tie-ups with all major cashless health insurance players and is the preferred choice hospital by all major corporates in the city. The hospital is an international medical destination for thousands of patients in India, the Middle East, Africa, and SAARC nations. The hospital also offers VideoConsult services to its patients in India and abroad.

Gleneagles Global Health City is a part of IHH Healthcare, one of the world’s largest healthcare providers. With its full spectrum of integrated services, dedicated people, reach and scale, and commitment to quality and safety, IHH aspires to be the world’s most trusted healthcare services network, united by a single purpose: to touch lives and transform care. More information on Gleneagles Global Health City can be found on the hospital’s website

Follow Gleneagles Global Health City at:

YouTube Channel:   https://youtube.com/channel/UCWwPNfhZdJa_qPFVwjb7Ptg

FB Channel: https://www.facebook.com/GleneaglesGlobalHealthCityChennai/?ti=as