In a recent case, the healthy survival of a premature baby born with extremely low weight after 7 months of gestation at Columbia Asia Hospital Patiala brought much relief and cheer to the worried parents and family of the child. The case turned out to be the lowest weighing baby in the history of the hospital. Ensuring a safe delivery and disease free survival of a premature baby full of challenges.
The mother of the baby was rushed to the hospital as she had labor pains. Upon diagnosis, it was evident that any delay in the delivery can cause danger to the baby and the mother if pregnancy were continued. The parents were counselled about the seriousness of the case and possible outcomes of premature birth of a baby. A decision of immediate delivery was taken after considering the important parameters of both the mother and the child.
“The baby took birth 30 weeks premature and weighed only 570 gram. Whereas a normal baby takes birth between 37 and 40 weeks and weighs between 2.5 and 3.5 kg. The chances of such survival of premature babies are low as these babies are functionally immature in respect to all parameters i.e. breathing, functioning of heart, kidney and intestines etc. In this particular case the growth of the baby was not optimum even for the 30 weeks spent in the mother’s womb that made this case even more precarious. It was high end technology available in Columbia Asia, expertise in the form of doctor’s and trained nurses, round the clock monitoring system and highest level of infection prevention practices that made the survival possible say” Dr. Neeraj Arora, – Consultant Pediatrics & Neonatology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala.
“Another important aspect is that such babies requires delicate handling as during this time, the baby’s mind is actively maturing and they are sensitive to light and noise. Therefore, along with exceptional technology to support the small life, exceptional nursing care plays a vital role in the recovery of the baby. The baby was retained in hospital for 74 days and got discharged recently in stable condition with completely normal parameters, weighing of 1,365 grams”, said Dr. Gurpreet Kaur Virk, Consultant – Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala.
Premature births were a cause of concern for the local people in Patiala and most of the cases were being referred to Chandigarh and other areas. With a local hospital handling such delicate case of pregnancy and delivery effectively and efficiently, people of Patiala, specially expecting mothers, have more than one reason to feel relieved.
India ranks at the top with 35 lakh premature births, which is twice that of China ranked second. In Punjab alone, reportedly over 17,000 premature births took place in 2015-2016, making it a significant public health problem. Latest studies have indicated the role of the growing pollution in the country by reporting that 18% of preterm births are associated with air pollution, as expecting women and babies before they are born are majorly impacted by fine particulate matter (PM 2.5).
About Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd.
Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. is the only company in India to utilize 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) route in the hospital sector.
About Columbia Asia Group of Companies
The Columbia Asia Group is owned by more than 150 private equity companies, fund management organizations and individual investors. The group currently operates eleven facilities in India and has presence in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Mysore, Patiala and Pune. The company also operates hospitals in Malaysia (12), Vietnam (3), and Indonesia (3). The Indian management operations are managed from its office in Bangalore.
