KIMS Anantapur performs surgery on infant with displaced organs in chest cavity

Anantapur: In a heartwarming incident, timely assistance saved a baby suffering from a rare health condition in Anantapur.

An infant from Anantapur was born with a rare condition where some of his abdominal organs, such as parts of the liver, spleen and intestines, were displaced into the chest cavity where the lungs should have been. As a result, the lungs could not expand properly, leading to severe breathing difficulties.

The parents, with the father being completely blind and the mother having over 50% vision loss, were unable to notice their baby's struggle with breathing from birth. It wasn’t until the baby reached three and a half months, he was unable to drink milk properly and showing signs of laboured breathing.

It was then the family took him to KIMS Saveera Hospital in Anantapur with the help of relatives.

Misplaced organs pushed lungs aside

According to Dr A Mahesh, a consultant paediatrician, “The baby was born with a critical issue. Some key abdominal organs were in the chest area where the lungs should be, leaving the lungs with insufficient space to expand. This caused the baby to have difficulty breathing and not gain enough weight.”

At birth, the baby weighed 3.8 kg, and in three months, the baby should have gained at least 2 kg, but when he was brought to us, he weighed only 4.7 kg. An X-ray revealed a white mass in the lung area, and further tests, including a CT scan, confirmed the problem.

“This condition existed from birth and the baby would have had severe breathing issues right from the start. However, because both parents are visually impaired, they couldn’t detect their child’s distress. Relatives, who visited occasionally, also did not notice the severity of the issue until one relative finally recognised the baby’s breathing problems,” said the doctor.

Once the baby was brought to the hospital, he was immediately placed on a ventilator. After performing all the necessary tests, we successfully operated on him to relocate the organs to their correct positions and closed the chest.

Doctors have advised careful monitoring of the baby for the next two to three years, including regular vaccinations and check-ups, to ensure there are no further complications.

“Generally, we encounter such cases right after birth but bringing in a baby after three and a half months is rare. In this case, the parents’ blindness delayed the identification of the problem. Thankfully, the baby is now in good health and doing well,” said Dr Mahesh.