Teamwork saves newborn with rare vein disorder at SGPGI | Lucknow News

Lucknow: Displaying exemplary skill and teamwork, three departments at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences came together to save a three-day-old baby from an extremely rare congenital condition called the Vein of Galen Malformation (VOGM).Described as a congenital blood vessel abnormality in the brain, VOGM occurs when arteries bypass capillaries and connect directly to veins, forming bunches that may become entangled. The condition tends to create a rush of high-pressure blood, which can lead to severe problems, including congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, widespread brain injury, and hydrocephalus (accumulation of water in the brain). With a prevalence of 1 in 40,000 live births, the condition has a death rate of over 77%.Led by SGPGI’s maternal and reproductive health department, a life-saving procedure was undertaken by Prof Vivek Singh and his team from interventional radiology, with the help of Prof Sandeep Sahu and his team from anaesthesia.“The case relates to Baby of Banno, a 26-year-old native of Kaushambi district. In the third month of pregnancy, a diagnostic check-up revealed the baby’s condition. So, we were anticipating a crisis soon after birth. As expected, the baby started gasping for breath, and she was put on ventilatory support as there was a risk of the baby slipping towards heart failure,” said Prof Mandakini Pradhan, who attended the baby along with Prof Nita Singh. They had also kept the interventional radiology and anaesthesia departments on alert.“A lot depended on whether or not the baby survived the first crisis (heart failure). She did and was readied for an endovascular procedure called therapeutic embolization, which has its own set of challenges that deepen in the case of babies,” said Prof Vivek Singh.In the procedure, the doctors approached the brain from the femoral artery to navigate the entangled section with the help of a catheter. Thereafter, the larger vessels were identified and segregated to occlude (stop) the high-flowing blood.“The moment this high flow was checked, the risk of heart failure came down drastically. Besides saving life, it allows the body’s natural defence mechanism to set in and resolve the smaller sections over time,” he said.Talking about the challenge for anaesthetists, Prof Sahu said: “The baby was just three days old and placing infants on anaesthesia requires the highest level of constant vigilance. The surveillance continues for several hours even after the procedure until the baby regains consciousness. All is well that ends well.”The family refrained from divulging their details but thanked the doctors for saving the baby.