MGM Healthcare, a leading multi-specialty hospital in Chennai, has successfully performed a complex brain surgery on a day-old newborn, saving the child’s life. Dr. L.S. Harishchandra, a specialist in pediatric, epilepsy, and movement disorder surgery, along with the support of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team led by Dr. Binu Ninan, performed the intricate two-step surgical procedure to remove a blood clot in the brain of the newborn.

The infant was brought to MGM Healthcare’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit from an outside hospital with drowsiness and a refusal to feed from the mother. Upon examination and MRI, the doctors discovered a huge blood clot compressing the brain stem and obstructing the normal flow of fluid in the brain.

The brain stem is responsible for vital functions such as breathing, heartbeat, and maintaining a conscious state. When this part of the brain is compressed, it can affect all these functions. The only solution was to remove the clot.

Dr. Harishchandra stated that performing any surgery on newborns is challenging and requires being meticulous while being as quick as possible. The surgery took about five hours, and the infant was under the excellent care of the Neonatal team during the post-operative period. Timely intervention and meticulous neonatal post-operative care were key in saving the child’s life. The baby is now a few months old and is doing fine, keeping up with developmental milestones.

According to Dr. Harishchandra, there have been only about 100 such cases reported worldwide. MGM Healthcare’s advanced infrastructure and strong support from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit enabled them to perform such complex surgeries.

This successful surgery showcases MGM Healthcare’s expertise in providing quality healthcare services to patients in need.