Associate Professor Cường, director of the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, hands over the boy to his mother on July 11. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

The baby boy, named K, was born normally on February 18, 2023 at the 25th week of pregnancy, weighing only 600g. After the premature birth, the baby was malnourished with respiratory failure, hiccups, and very slow reflexes. The baby was forced to be intubated and mechanically ventilated.

At first, the infant was given neonatal resuscitation right from the delivery room, respiratory failure prevention, and total intravenous nutrition. After two weeks, the child’s weight increased to 700 grams.

However, at this time, the boy faced a diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis and septic shock for being born extremely premature and having extremely low birth weight. The baby was treated with high-frequency mechanical ventilation, fasting and parenteral nutrition.

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a very dangerous disease that can cause death in children. The rate of necrotizing enterocolitis is 15-20 per cent, usually occurring at 10-45 days after birth. After the stage of necrotizing enterocolitis, the infant was diagnosed with intestinal stenosis.

"The process of treating and taking care of children has many difficult stages. There are times when it is almost hopeless. During the treatment, we cooperated with Việt Đức Friendship Hospital to perform surgery to treat intestinal obstruction for the baby boy," said Associate Professor Cường, director of the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

After consulting with Associate Professor Nguyễn Việt Hoa, Head of the Pediatric Surgery Department, Việt Đức Friendship Hospital, the doctors decided to operate on the child.

On June 13, when the baby was 1.8kg and eligible for surgery, Associate Professor Hoa had surgery to cut a narrow section of intestine and reconnect it at the Việt Đức Friendship Hospital.

"The baby's intestine is narrow, only 1/5 of a normal child's intestine," said Hoa.

The operation was successful. After the operation, the boy was transferred to the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology for further care and nurturing. After 10 days of caesarean section, the baby was fed exclusively by the gastrointestinal tract.

Associate Professor Trần Danh Cường said that the premature baby boy was saved spectacularly after five months of hospitalisation.

“This is the case with the longest treatment time at our hospital with nearly five months of treatment. The five-month-old boy had 52 days of invasive mechanical ventilation and 10 blood transfusions,” Cường said.

The hospital director said that the successful rearing of the baby was thanks to the smooth coordination between the two hospitals. Neonatologists work hard to feed and care for children eligible for surgery.

“Currently, after 143 days of treatment, the boy is 2.2kg, equivalent to a baby about one month old, eats well, and can be breastfed. He can laugh spontaneously, and likes to be held by his mother," according to the hospital director.

The baby was discharged from the hospital on July 11.

Previously, the Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital has successfully monitored, treated and nurtured many premature babies born at 25-27 weeks of gestation. Last year, this unit fed a premature baby weighing only 400 grams, the lowest birth weight baby in Việt Nam. — VNS