Newborn saved by surgery done without cutting the umbilical cord
Xinhua Hospital performed a procedure to save a newborn boy with severe chest fluid accumulation without cutting the umbilicord cord during a Caesarian section.
The Ex Utero Intrapartum Therapy, or EXIT procedure, is often done on a newborn who may not survive without surgery. During an EXIT procedure, the umbilical cord provides oxygen to the baby through the mother.
Early January prenatal checks revealed fetus fluid accumulation in a pregnant woman from Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. She reached out to Xinhua Hospital for consultation.
After receiving the patient on February 16, doctors in Xinhua carried out a detailed check and group discussion and decided that the foetus needed an emergency delivery, as the fluid accumulation had seriously pressed the heart and lungs.
Doctors remove fluid from the newborn's chest without cutting the umbilical cord.
Due to the baby's lung condition, experts decided to use the EXIT procedure, as the baby would not be able to breathe on delivery.
Doctors delivered the baby on February 17, who did not cry because his lungs weren't open. With the umbilical cord still attached, doctors removed the fluid in eight minutes.
The boy was able to breathe and regain a heartbeat. He was then taken to intensive care after the umbilical cord was cut.
The baby has congenital chylothorax, a rare but fatal condition caused by multiple lymphatic vessel anomalies or thoracic cavity defects, doctors said.
Chest fluid can have an impact on fetal development. If pressure remains for a long time, the baby will be unable to regain proper self respiration after delivery, resulting in high mortality and other risky complications.
The umbilical cord is removed from the newborn after the operation.
