Gleneagles Global Health City (GGHC), a quaternary care multi-speciality centre in Chennai, successfully treated sudden cardiac arrest in a 34-year-old woman who was in her 38th week of pregnancy. On April 14 in the 38th week of pregnancy, the patient visited the hospital with hypothyroidism and gestational diabetes for an elective caesarean. Minutes before she was taken into the OT, she exhibited ‘anaphylactic’ reaction that led to a sudden cardiac arrest. Immediately ‘CODE Blue’ was announced and a 25-member team of doctors and nurses including ER specialist, senior cardiologist, senior anaesthetist, senior obstetrician and neonatologist rushed to the ward and resuscitated the patient.
The newborn’s decreased heart rate required immediate intervention and the team of doctors got into immediate action. Due to the cardiac arrest, the newborn suffered from Transient Hypoxic Ischaemic event to the brain. GGHC’s team of neonatologists, immediately identified the medical condition and resuscitated the baby by performing ‘Cooling therapy’ to reverse the damage to the brain and to prevent any further damage. The procedure was successfully performed and the baby recovered well, post the cooling therapy without any complications. The mother was shifted to ICU and her vitals (pulse & BP) were stabilised through medications. She showed good signs of recovery within hours from cardiac arrest.
Speaking on the success of the timely medical intervention, Dr Padmapriya, HOD - Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai said, “The challenge posed by the anaphylactic shock before the scheduled C-section was immense. Executing the timely caesarean coupled with treatment for cardiac arrest helped the baby and the mother recover without any neurological complications. The key to success was the timely intervention. Both the mother and baby were discharged from the hospital five days after the surgery.”
“As neonatologists, it is very crucial for us to notice the invisible warning signs and predict the future health of the newborn. Considering the emergency, the baby underwent the cooling therapy within the ‘golden hour’ to bring the baby back to normalcy. This showcased that skilful resuscitation done at the needful hour can help save little hearts,” added Dr Shreela Sherine Pauliah, Senior Consultant – Department of Neonatology & Paediatrics, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai.