A 35-year-old woman from Mira Road beat Covid-19 and went on to successfully deliver her baby in the 7th month of her pregnancy. Both the mother and baby were discharged after the woman spent 60 days in the hospital, including 21 days in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 14 days on the ventilator.
The patient was referred to Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, after she complained of fever, breathless and desaturation (low blood oxygen concentration), said Dr Bipin Jibkhate, a senior critical care consultant at the hospital. “The patient was taken to a private practitioner, and after testing positive for Covid-19, she was shifted to our hospital. There were multiple challenges in managing the pregnant patient in the ICU as her immunity was low. Her physiological needs were different from normal women, and pregnant women have a higher tendency of clotting, high abdominal pressure, low carbon dioxide levels and higher tendency to vomit, said the medico.
In such situations, if the oxygen level is not maintained, the options are limited, Dr Jibkhate explaining, adding that they had to put the patient on the ventilator. “Fortunately, she responded to the treatment, and her ventilator requirement went down. However, even after seven days, she required a significant amount of ventilator use, and so we removed the tube from her mouth and put it through her throat – a procedure called as tracheostomy,” he said.
In the meanwhile, the woman’s second Covid-19 test came negative. She was shifted to a non-Covid ICU and slowly taken off the ventilator.
{{/usCountry}}In the meanwhile, the woman’s second Covid-19 test came negative. She was shifted to a non-Covid ICU and slowly taken off the ventilator.
{{/usCountry}}“Because of the stress of the disease and ICU stay, the patient went into labour prematurely and delivered a baby boy,” said Dr Mangala Patil, obstetrician, Wockhardt Hospital.
According to Dr Samir Shaikh, consultant neonatologist, the baby weighed only 1,560 gram and was shifted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). After a few days, the baby’s condition improved, and he and his mother were discharged.
“My world came crashing down when I tested positive for Covid-19. But the doctors made sure that I delivered my baby safely, and now his health has also improved,” said the patient.