Top News Dahe Health News reporter Wang Jiayi
On October 19, 2021, An An, who was only 23 weeks + 4 days old and weighed 700 grams, was born, but before he could cry, he was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
He was as big as an adult's "slap", his skin was thin and delicate like jelly, his spontaneous breathing was weak, and his skin was bruised.
This is a rare ultra-preterm baby in the country, and it is also the youngest and lightest premature baby currently admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Zhengzhou Central Hospital affiliated to Zhengzhou University.
01
Born four months early
An Ann is an "acute child"
In the early hours of the morning, a rapid telephone ringing broke the quiet ward of the neonatal department...
"23 weeks + 4 days in the delivery room, super premature! Delivery is coming soon! Get there! The doctor on duty did not have time to doubt his ears, so he immediately took the rescue box and rushed to the delivery room to make full preparations.
The baby is born, the gestational age is less than 6 months, can it live?
In the incubator, a baby boy slightly larger than the palm of an adult's hand appears in front of him.
The skin of the whole body was bluish purple, and sometimes it slowly twisted the jelly-like body, as if to announce its birth to everyone.
"The gestation period for a normal fetus is 40 weeks, preterm babies below 37 weeks and ultra-preterm babies below 28 weeks. In the past, babies under 28 weeks of age were also called 'miscarriages' and had a hard time surviving. With the development of medical technology, the survival rate of this part of the child has greatly improved. However, the whole body organs of ultra-immature premature babies of about 23 weeks are extremely immature, prone to a variety of complications, extremely difficult to treat, and the mortality rate is as high as 80%, and it is necessary to overcome many difficulties in order to survive. Wang Kai, director of the Department of Neonatology at Zhengzhou Central Hospital affiliated to Zhengzhou University, said.
02
100 days Thrilling crossing the aisle "Life Level"
His parents named him "An An" in the hope that he would always be safe and sound.
From the moment of his birth, An An began his journey through the customs.
Born 100 days ago, thrilling through a series of "life levels", the success or failure of any level is directly related to whether this small life can survive healthily.
The first level: breathing off
According to Director Wang Kai, due to lung dysplasia, An An used a ventilator after birth, and invasive ventilation was carried out for more than 2 months, and he had never encountered such a long time before.
Respiratory distress syndrome, fungal infections of the lungs, systemic fungal infections, bronchopulmonary dysplasia... Every problem is tricky to solve.
For the entire 10 weeks after Ann was born, she breathed with the help of an invasive ventilator under endotracheal intubation.
The doctor also gave An'an lung surfactant alternative treatment, always guarding the child's side, closely observing and carefully analyzing every slight change, and carefully adjusting each ventilator parameter.
From the invasive ventilator to the non-invasive ventilator, and then to the under-regulating inhaled oxygen concentration again and again, repeatedly adjusting the antifungal drug, An An's inflammatory indicators are slowly improving, and after more than two months, he finally got rid of the invasive ventilator and began to breathe freely.
Although the assistance of a non-invasive ventilator is also needed, it is already a huge step forward for An'an.
The second level: infection off
At the time of birth, ultra-preterm babies have very poor mucosal barrier function of the respiratory and digestive systems, making them highly susceptible to infection.
Due to intrauterine infection, An An developed a rare clinical fungal sepsis and fungal pneumonia, and the situation was not optimistic.
In addition to fungal infections, An's mucous membranes, respiratory tract, and digestive tract have weak ability to resist infection, and are prone to secondary infections.
In order to avoid worsening and recurrence of the condition caused by infection, the environmental health around An'an, including various instruments such as incubators, infusion pumps, monitors, etc., is strictly managed by full-time nurses, and the items that can be accessed are sterile and disposable.
Not only that, the Department of Neonatology has also set up a "1+4" special medical team (1 doctor in charge + 4 full-time senior nurses) to continuously evaluate and adjust the program according to the progress of the disease in real time.
With the joint efforts of medical staff, An An did not have any complications related to infection.
The third level: nutrition
Nutrition is a key factor in the normal development of premature babies.
In the process, daily fluids, calories and nutrients need to be accurately calculated, and Ann seems to be waiting for the arrival of breast milk every day.
Starting from 0.5 ml, 4 times a day, to now feed every two hours, the amount of each breastfeed reaches 30 ml.
Breast milk contributes to the improvement of an amplification of resistance and the protection of gastrointestinal function. For 3 months, An An's mother insisted on pumping and breastfeeding every day, even if it was only a few milliliters a day, she would be sent to the hospital.
At first, the amount of breastfeeding did not meet the growth needs of An'an, and medical staff established a life channel for An'an to deliver nutrient solution through the umbilical vein and PICC.
Later, breastfeeding increased, and after reaching full enteral nutrition, all fluids were stopped. Now An'an's nutrition is obtained by eating breast milk by himself.
Ann's weight is increasing day by day, from 0.7 kilograms at birth to 2.4 kilograms now.
The fourth level: nervous system off
An's early episodes of partial intracranial hemorrhage may have adverse effects on long-term prognosis. After informing the family of the risks, they are determined to save the child no matter what, and are willing to work with the medical staff and the child to take all the risks in the future.
The persistence of Ann's parents touched the medical staff of the Neonatal Department. "At that time, we only had one thought, to do our best, to use the strength of the whole department, regardless of the cost, regardless of the cost, we must cure this child." Life is really too delicate! Wang Kai said.
Fifth level: Eye diseases
Premature infants' fundus and retinal immature development, coupled with external hyperoxia stimulation, can easily cause premature retinopathy (referred to as ROP), which can lead to blindness.
All along, the medical staff has closely monitored An An's fundus, found that there is ROP progression during fundus screening, and after consultation with the ophthalmologist, the fundus injection has been alleviated, and it is still being followed up.
"An An is amazing, and the strength of life is beyond imagination. In these 100 days, he and we have created medical miracles, breaking through one level after another. Wang Kai said.
Ann is now able to breathe on her own, eat on its own, and maintain her body temperature on its own. For the sake of insurance, An An's first Spring Festival will be spent in the hospital, but I believe that in the near future, An An will return home healthy and healthy to reunite with his parents.
Attached: A letter from Ann's mother to Ann
Dear child,
Because of your presence, everything that I was once familiar with to turning a blind eye became so important.
The things that I once pursued, spurned, and didn't care about, because of your presence, made me indifferent.
All of this adds up to insignificant compared to you.
I don't want you to excel.
I don't want you to be able to fly away in the future.
I just hope you're a kid like everyone else,
Be a healthy, lively, happy and happy child, enough.
Love your mom
Source: Great River Health News