On November 28, information from Hung Vuong Hospital said that this unit had just successfully raised an extremely premature baby boy at 23 weeks old, weighing only 640g.
Baby boy discharged from hospital after nearly 100 days of birth at 23 weeks old (Photo: Hospital).
According to Dr. Le Anh Thi, Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Hung Vuong Hospital, baby H. was born at 11:20 p.m. on August 21 by natural birth with a weight of 640g.
"With this weight, the baby is only equivalent to a large carton of fresh milk. The baby's body at birth is almost an incomplete biological machine. This is an extremely challenging survival threshold for neonatal medicine.
Normally, a full-term pregnancy is 37-40 weeks. At week 23, the baby's organs are still immature and not yet fully developed to adapt to life outside the mother's womb," said Dr. Thi.
At this stage, the lungs are not fully developed, leading to severe respiratory distress syndrome, very poor gas exchange ability. The cerebral cortex is fragile, the risk of cerebral hemorrhage is very high.
In addition, the baby's skin is thin, without a layer of fat under the skin, making the baby susceptible to heat loss, infection and severe dehydration. The immune system is almost unable to defend itself, making it susceptible to sepsis.
Despite careful preparation, the baby's condition was critical immediately after birth. The baby was cyanotic, had poor reflexes and weak muscle tone. These were signs of severe respiratory failure.
The baby was immediately resuscitated, including keeping warm, supporting breathing with intubation and closely monitoring vital signs. After intense efforts, baby H.'s complexion returned to normal and he was transferred directly to the NICU.
Immediately after being admitted to the NICU, the baby was placed on a ventilator and given surfactant (a lung-supporting drug). After the drug was administered, the baby's oxygen saturation improved significantly and his skin became rosy. Baby H. was then continuously supported with invasive and non-invasive ventilators for the next 73 days.
At the same time, the baby underwent many other treatment interventions such as using strong antibiotics to deal with the risk of sepsis, blood transfusion to replenish blood loss and using vasopressors to support the heart when blood pressure dropped.
By October 17, the baby weighed nearly 1.2kg, a milestone that showed a more stable survival rate. The baby was transferred to the Neonatal Department for further care and recovery.
Here, the child still has episodes of cyanosis and slight respiratory contractions. This is a sign of poor respiratory function. Baby H. continues to be treated with antibiotics, closely monitored for apnea episodes, and undergoes respiratory physiotherapy to strengthen respiratory muscles and clear the lungs.
An important factor that helped the baby make remarkable progress was the Kangaroo care method (skin-to-skin), feeding with breast milk exclusively through a gastric tube. After better digestion, the baby was taught to eat with a spoon and then switched to breastfeeding.
On November 26 (97th day after birth), baby H. weighed nearly 1.8kg, meeting the criteria for discharge from the hospital.
According to Dr. Thi, raising a very premature baby at only 23 weeks old is a miracle of three things: the baby's extraordinary willpower, the family's boundless love, and the expertise and absolute dedication of the medical team.
This is not only a proud milestone for the hospital itself, but also a big step forward, laying a solid foundation for the ability of Vietnamese medicine to intervene and save the lives of extremely premature infants.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/hanh-trinh-97-ngay-vuot-cua-tu-cua-be-trai-sinh-cuc-non-luc-23-tuan-tuoi-20251128143001214.htm
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