A Baby's Life Is Saved by an Uncommon "EXIT" Procedure

News Desk, News Nation 360: Narayana Hospital Howrah has recently achieved a significant milestone in the medical history of West Bengal by performing the first-ever EXIT (Ex-Utero Intrapartum Treatment) procedure in the state, resulting in the delivery of a preterm infant who is currently thriving and gaining weight every day at the age of 2.5 months. The young woman, who is 24 years old and hails from Nagaland, was admitted to the hospital in the 31st week of her pregnancy with severe bilateral pleural effusion that led to hydrops fetalis, which caused massive fluid accumulation in her lungs and abdomen that consequently compressed her lungs, rendering her unable to breathe independently after birth. At only 20 weeks into the pregnancy, she was diagnosed with the condition and received extensive treatment; however, an EXIT procedure became necessary to prevent fatal neonatal hypoxia. A team of doctors, including Dr. Sumana Datta (Consultant Gynaecologist & Obstetrician), Dr. Akhileshwar Narayan Chowdhury (Consultant Paediatrician & Neonatologist), Dr. Goutam Chakraborty (Consultant Paediatric & Neonatal Surgeon), and Dr. Rashmi Shahi (Consultant Anaesthesiologist), performed a C-Section along with the EXIT procedure to allow for the continuation of oxygen supply from the mother to the child while also intubating the newborn and inserting drainage tubes in the vicinity of the lungs to remove the fluid within minutes while also clamping the umbilical cord, successfully resuscitating the neonate despite several instances of desaturation during the one-month NICU stay.