Visakhapatnam: Complex surgery gives new lease of life to a child

Visakhapatnam: Tending to Covid-19 patients from close quarters is no mean task, especially, when the patient is pregnant, on non-invasive ventilator (NIV) and about to deliver a baby.

But in their collective battle against Covid-19, a team of doctors at CSR Block in King George Hospital (KGH) have put their best foot forward to perform a complicated caesarean surgery to save the mother and the child.

Though the operation was successful and the doctors could save the child, the mother passed away three days after the delivery. "It was an arduous surgery as S Jayalakshmi was on NIV and in the ICU for the past 10 days. Her blood pressure was fluctuating and she was suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Performing caesarean procedure is critical for such patients. Still, we took the risk," recounts Ampolu Kavita, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, currently working at CSR Block of KGH for the past 10 months.

Despite their earnest efforts, Kavita regrets that the mother could not be saved. "The patient was on a ventilator even during the procedure. We took every precautionary measure while performing the critical surgery. But the sad part is that the mother could not survive three days later despite her oxygen saturation level indicated 100," narrates Dr Kavita, who garnered appreciation from Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas and Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao for the good work done in times of the pandemic.

Getting emotional while sharing her experience, team leader of ICU and anesthesiologist from Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at KGH Tripti Yerramilli says, "It was indeed tough to see Jayalakshmi struggling. She gave birth to a male child who is hale and healthy and tested negative for Covid-19. The baby was handed over to the patient's relatives as soon as she gave birth to him. It took me 24 hours to overcome the grief as I monitored the patient from close quarters, at times only an inch away from her."

Dr Tripti was the first person to alert the Gynecology ward for the cesarean operation at the right time. "It is risky to administer spinal anesthesia to a patient who's on NIV-mode of mechanical ventilation. We took so much care during the surgery. Till the last moment, our efforts aimed at saving both the patient and the baby. But the patient became so restless and died on June 12 due to ARDS and related complications," explains the anesthesiologist.

Putting their lives at risk, the doctors say that nothing could really make them happier than saving a patient.