Berhampur: Doctors at govt-run MKCG Medical College and Hospital here performed a critical surgery on a 21-day-old infant. A baby boy, born with a neural tube defect (lumbar myelomeningocele) at the community health centre in Jamaguda in Nabarangpur on May 3, was operated on May 25 by a team led by neurosurgeon Dr R N Panda.The baby was referred from SLN Medical College and Hospital, Koraput, to MKCG on May 5. “His spinal cord remained exposed, raising chances of infection and other complications if not operated on immediately. Since he was suffering from pneumonia, we had to wait and conduct the surgery on May 25,” Panda said. A team from neurosurgery, paediatrics and anaesthesia, along with support staff, took around five hours to perform the surgery, he said, adding that the condition is uncommon in infants.“The infant is now under treatment at the Special Neonatal Care Unit of the paediatrics department and is in good condition. He will remain admitted for a few more days as he needs another procedure — shunt surgery — to treat fluid build-up in the brain,” said Dr Santosh Kumar Pradhan, associate professor in the paediatrics department.Pradhan said such complications are seen in one in 1,000 births. “Infection during pregnancy and irregular intake of iron and folic acid tablets by the mother are among the reasons behind congenital spinal problems,” he said, adding that the cause in this case was not investigated. Medical college superintendent Sudeepa Das thanked the doctors for carrying out the surgery through a multidisciplinary approach.The baby’s mother, a 40-year-old from Tenda village in Nabarangpur district, delivered at the Jamaguda CHC on May 3. Sources said it was the woman’s third child. Her other children — a 10-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son — are healthy.
