Chuanguan News reporter Li Huan
It's a thrilling relay of life.
From 490 grams at birth to 2120 grams at discharge, a miracle of life was created.
Behind the miracle, it condenses the superb medical skills of the medical team of the West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University (hereinafter referred to as the Second Hospital of West China), full of the parents' dedication to the life of flesh and bones, and it is the tenacious vitality of the child, allowing him to break through the ghost gate again and again.
The boy was affectionately named "Little Four-Nine" by the medical staff, meaning that he weighed only 490 grams when he was born. He stayed in nikeu for a full 90 days in the Second Hospital of West China, and fortunately, when he was discharged from the hospital, all physical indicators were basically in normal condition.
What ups and downs has Little Forty-Nine experienced on its growth path? How did the medical team of west China Second Hospital fight the god of death? Through multi-party interviews, the reporter restored the story behind the miracle.
The reunion was 90 days late
February 15, 2022, Lantern Festival. Mr. and Mrs. Tsubasa and their children's grandmother rushed to the ward of the NICU of the Neonatology Department of West China Second Hospital early in the morning. It was a reunion that had been postponed for 90 days. At this time, Xiao Sijiu's weight had grown to 2120 grams, and his dancing appearance made everyone laugh. More importantly, Xiao Sijiu's physical indicators have basically reached the standard and met the conditions for discharge.
Xiao Sijiu's grandmother saw her little grandson for the first time, carefully held him in her arms, with tears in her eyes, and kept thanking the medical staff.
During his time in NICU, Xiao Sijiu lived with the medical staff of the West China Second Hospital for 90 days and established a very deep relationship, and on the day he was discharged from the hospital, the medical team played an elaborate video for his family: his growth and changes every day were recorded by the medical staff in the form of photos, videos and texts. Sometimes he put his hand on his chest; sometimes he grimaced at the paramedics...
The first sucking and the first smile were recorded by the medical staff one by one, which also provided a basis for the medical staff's treatment of Xiao Sijiu, which is a record of love. Every action and every progress of Xiao Sijiu will make the medical team excited!
Before Mr. and Mrs. Dolma left the hospital with Xiao Sijiuyi in their arms, the medical team and the Xiao Sijiu family took a "family portrait", and the camera froze everyone's smile!
90 days! It was all worth it!
Countless times with the god of death passed by
"This is a living life and we must give it our all!" Professor Mu Dezhi, the leader of the Department of Neonatology of west China Second Hospital, was very vocal, and Professor Tang Jun, director of the department of neonatology, and Professor Wang Hua, secretary of the neonatal party branch and deputy director, immediately set up a treatment team, including neonatal medical staff and respiratory therapists, to fight for the life of Xiao Sijiu, "What is the concept of weight 490 grams equivalent to?" His legs weren't as thick as my index finger; his body wasn't as big as my slap. Chen Qiong, deputy head nurse of the Department of Neonatology of West China Second Hospital, still remembers what Xiao Sijiu looked like when he was just born.
Time to go back to that thrilling night of November 18, 2021. The 28-year-old Tschidoma underwent an emergency caesarean section due to severe preeclampsia, when she was less than 31 weeks pregnant and her fetus was not yet fully mature. To make matters worse, she was pregnant with twins, and due to the differential growth of the two fetuses in the womb, the small twin was born with only 490 grams, which is also the lightest birth weight and surviving baby in the history of the Second Hospital of West China.
Because the child is too young, his lung function, respiratory function, and nerve function are still very unsound. After leaving his mother's womb, he was rushed to the NICU ward, where he was going to face all kinds of unexpected difficulties.
The establishment of breathing and life channels is the first time that Xiao Forty-Nine has crossed the threshold of death.
"Xiao Sijiu is an ultra-low birth weight, smaller gestational age child, and needs to be infused and monitored for him through the umbilical artery and umbilical vein catheterization," said Professor Wang Hua, the medical team successfully built a life channel in one go, providing a guarantee for the nutrition supply of Xiao Sijiu.
Just when everyone thought that Xiao Sijiu successfully broke through, he also had lung infection, respiratory failure, and auxiliary support through tracheal intubation ventilator is the only way to maintain effective breathing, but Xiao Sijiu is accompanied by pulmonary hemorrhage at the same time, and tracheal intubation is extremely difficult, just when his life is hanging on the line, Hu Yong's attending doctor and respiratory therapist still rely on superb technology to provide support for Xiao Sijiu's respiratory support. The breathing and heartbeat of the medical team are closely linked to xiao sijiu's life.
After passing the breathing barrier and the infection pass, the absorption of intestinal nutrition has become another major problem facing Xiao Sijiu. The ability of Xiao Sijiu to suck is insufficient, and the early way to obtain nutrition is to rely on intravenous channels for parenteral nutrition, and gastric tube injection for enteral nutrition. In the early stage, due to poor bowel movements and small stomach capacity, the amount of food eaten each time needs to be strictly controlled, otherwise it may face feeding intolerance. Starting from the initial amount of 0.5 ml of milk per time, every 6-8 hours, and gradually increasing to every 2-3 hours of feeding, so fine care, so that Xiao Sijiu grows at a rate of about 10-20 grams per day in line with the doctor's expectations. At this time, he has become a member of the medical team, and the name of "Little Four-Nine" is well-known throughout the West China Second Hospital!
"Little Forty-Nine is particularly contentious!" In the interview, Professor Wang Hua and Deputy Head Nurse Chen Qiong used this term many times. "We were worried that he would have intracranial hemorrhage due to an immature nervous system; we were also worried that he would have necrotizing enterocolitis, and fortunately none of our fears showed up on him!"
Refined care
Xiao Sijiu "slipped" out of the hands of the God of Death again and again. Every time the "breakthrough" is successful, the medical staff will breathe a long sigh of relief.
Before Xiao Sijiu was born, the members of the "Xiao Sijiu Medical Team" were already in place.
For Xiao Sijiu, breast milk is not only "food", but also "medicine", which is crucial to enhance its resistance. In the early days of Dolma's production, there was very little milk, and every drop of breast milk was extremely precious. After the nurse dilutes the breast milk, she dips a cotton swab in his mouth. At this time, an incredible scene occurred, Xiao Sijiu stretched out two small hands to hold the cotton swab and suck it. The nurse was so excited that she quickly told everyone in the team the news, and everyone was touched by this strong life.
In order to keep Xiao Sijiu's growth environment from being disturbed by any external factors, the hospital provided him with a separate NICU room, his bed is an incubator, and there are various instruments monitoring 24 hours a day.
In order to avoid disturbing Xiao Sijiu as much as possible, the medical staff would be careful every time they entered and exited his ward to reduce the stimulation of the sound to him. Newborns, especially premature babies, in addition to being sensitive to sound, will also react strongly to light. In order to create a growth environment for Xiao Sijiu in the womb, we simulated the scene of day and night for him, just like the newly hatched chicks lying in the warm "bird's nest", so that Xiao Sijiu has a sense of security. Chen Qiong, deputy head nurse, said that at the same time, the medical staff also specially recorded the mother of Xiao Sijiu, so that the mother's voice accompanied the child.
Meticulous care is much more than that. Since Xiao Sijiu lived in NICU, the medical team has been paving the way for his future growth, in order to make Xiao Sijiu feel affectionate, the medical staff regularly let his parents go to the ward, touch and kiss the baby. After the full moon of the fourth and ninth years, he also had more needs for emotions, and every time he cried, the medical staff would come to his bedside and gently touch him, or take him out of the incubator and pace gently. The irritable little four-nine also gradually calmed down the mood.
Parents' "desperate fight" has made their children's lives
In fact, giving birth to twins is a huge effort for the Dolmas.
"Twins are a great gift to our husband and wife, and I think I'm going to give birth to them anyway." Dolma said that when the couple was still immersed in the joy of "intrauterine twins", another piece of news was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day - the fetus was unevenly developed in the womb.
The two sons rushed from Lhasa to the West China Second Hospital, and Professor Yao Qiang, deputy director of obstetrics, gave Dolma a comprehensive examination, and his brow was locked: twins, severe eclampsia were like two sharp swords threatening Dolma's safety. Professor Yao Qiang told Dolma that severe pre-eclampsia can cause pregnant women to have higher and higher blood pressure, damage to various organs, and even life-threatening. To make matters worse, through the B ultrasound estimate, one of the fetuses weighs less than 1 kilogram, and even if the baby is successfully born, it will face nine deaths.
But the Dolmas said they wanted to "fight to the death" for two lives. "We saw the firm eyes of the couple and decided to 'open up' and do our best to ensure the safety of the mother and child." Professor Yao Qiang said.
In this way, a battle for life began.
At this time, Dolma, who was 26 weeks pregnant, was admitted to the obstetric ward of west China Second Hospital, and the doctor strictly monitored her blood pressure, and closely monitored the development of her organs, and used prenatal hormones, less than 5 weeks later, the baby had symptoms of hypoxia in the womb, and at this time it was necessary to quickly perform a caesarean section to avoid fetal suffocation.
Fortunately, the two fetuses were successfully delivered, the large double was more than 1200 grams, but the small pair was only 490 grams. Even in the developed countries of the world, the survival rate of newborns under 500 grams is also low, especially twin differential growth, male, and small-for-gestational-age children, which are the great dangers faced by small four-nine. Will the child survive, especially if it survives with high quality without serious complications? Even the doctors at the Second Hospital of West China were not completely sure. "Now that the child has been handed over to us, we must give it our all!" During the hospitalization of Xiao Sijiu, the parents were also extremely cooperative, and the children themselves were also very competitive, so we created a miracle of life! Professor Wang Hua said.
(Photo and video courtesy of West China Second Hospital)