Woman, her premature twin baby survive after high-risk surgeries at Delhi hospital

A woman and one of her premature twin babies have survived thanks to high-risk surgeries performed by doctors at a private hospital in New Delhi, officials said on Friday.

The woman recently underwent a dual surgery, wherein an intestinal blockage was successfully removed and a C-section was performed, with her giving birth to twins who were 14 weeks premature, they said.

"All of this happened in the thick of the COVID-19-induced lockdown. While both the babies miraculously survived, one of them developed complications, for which the baby had to undergo two invasive surgeries spanning over two months," a spokesperson of Fortis hospital in Shalimar Bagh said.

The woman, 26-week pregnant with twins, was referred to the hospital with an "intestinal obstruction". On presentation, initial conservative measures were adopted to relieve the obstruction and prolong the pregnancy, the hospital authorities said.

However, these proved to be futile. The patient needed to undergo two surgeries simultaneously -- one to remove the blockage and a C-section to deliver the twins she was carrying, they said.

Since the babies were premature, there was a "very high chance" they would not survive, doctors said.

The woman underwent the dual surgery and delivered babies, a boy and a girl, around the end of March. The girl weighed 800 g and the baby boy weighed 1000 g, the spokesperson said.

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Dr Vivek Jain, director and head of department, neonatology, at the hospital said, "At the time of delivery, the twins were stabilised via ventilator support and medication for lung maturation and customised artificial nutrition was provided." However, by the third day, one of the twins developed complications, an intestinal perforation, much like the initial condition of the mother, he said.

The baby boy needed surgery and not the baby girl, the spokesperson said.

The first surgery was conducted in early April and a pouch was made on the side of the stomach and the intestine was left to heal. After six to eight weeks another surgery was performed on May 20 and the hole in the intestine was closed and was reconnected to itself, Jain said.

During the two surgeries, the baby was fighting to live and had developed severe distress, sepsis, respiratory failure, and hypotension, he said.

"However, against all odds, the baby survived and 12 weeks after his birth, he was handed over to the parents. It was nothing short of divine intervention that this baby, who had been born prematurely and had undergone two intensive operations, had come out thriving," Jain said.

The babies went home fully recovered in June, the hospital authorities said. 

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