Battered baby undergoes fifth life-saving surgery

The two-year-old baby girl underwent a fifth life-saving surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Trauma Centre early on Monday morning. She has been undergoing treatment in the ICU of the hospital for more than a month now.

The two-year-old baby girl underwent a fifth life-saving surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Trauma Centre early on Monday morning. She has been undergoing treatment in the ICU of the hospital for more than a month now.

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In the three-hour-long surgery, doctors inserted a plastic tube in her body to drain out the fluid that was getting accumulated inside the brain.

“Water that should be circulated within the body is getting collected in her brain, putting pressure on the head, which could be fatal to her,” said Dr Deepak Aggarwal, neurosurgeon at the hospital.

The infection in her lungs, brain and blood has subsided completely, said doctors.

“We could not conduct the surgery as there was high levels of infection in her brain. As soon as the culture samples of the brain started showing negative infection, we decided to go for it,” Dr Aggarwal added.

Even after a month, the baby has not been able to breathe on her own. “She has sort of become used to assisted breathing and remains susceptible to ventilator-associated infections. Though her overall condition has improved somewhat, she remains unconscious,” he said.

The toddler was brought to the hospital with severe head injuries, broken arms, bite marks all over her body and cheeks branded with hot iron, on January 18.