Paediatrics Hospital No 1 in Ho Chi Minh City has become the firsthospital in the country to successfully apply the techniques of reducingbody temperature to cure a choking newborn.
"It is agreat success for medicine in this country as choking is one of thethree leading causes of fatalities and after-effects in newborns," saidthe head of the hospital's Newborn Recovery Ward, Cam Ngoc Phuong.
In Vietnam , about 3-5 live births per 1,000 suffer from choking,which cuts off oxygen to the victims' brains, leading to epilepsy andcerebral palsy, she said. The global rate is 2 per 1,000 live births.
The newborn can chokie if the mother begins labour too late or toofast, the foetus's position is unnormal, the labour lasts too long orthe delivery is difficult, said Phuong.
Before, victimscan receive supportive treatment such as oxygen, heart and lungmedications and convulsion-prevention medicines.
"The treatment can prevent injuries to the heart, liver and kidneys, but it cannot improve wounds in brain," said Phuong.
The technique of reducing the newborn's body temperature has beenapplied in the US and Europe since 2002, she noted. This year, thehospital assigned two doctors to study the technique in Denmark .
With the technique, doctors use special equipment to reduce thenewborn's temperature to 33-34 degree Celsius within 72 hours todecrease the number of brain cells being damaged by the lack of oxygenand prevent injuries caused by brain oedema.
"It is notcomplicated to apply the technique, but the most important thing issupervising the baby's condition during the treatment period," Phuongsaid.
The only difficulty in the technique is that the expense for the machine of reducing the body temperature is high, she added.
Ho Tan Thanh Binh, a doctor in the ward, said the first baby in thecountry to receive the technique was a 3.6kg girl born by caesariansection in February. After the delivery, the baby lost consciousness.
After being treated with the technique, she recovered and was discharged from hospital when she was 12 days old, said Binh.
So far, seven newborns have received the technique, and were discharged from the hospital in stable condition.
"The technique should be applied for newborns under six hours old," Binh said.
After being discharged from the hospital, the newborn should bere-checked every four or six months and receive physical therapy for thebest results, he said.
Phuong noted that the treatmentcosts the patient's family about 2 million VND (100 USD). "The price ismuch cheaper than that in foreign countries as we cover the costs of theequipment only, while other countries factor in costs of beds andservices" said Phuong.
Doctors from the hospital havepresented the technique in seminars in HCM City and provinces inthe central region in the hopes of expanding the technique all over thecountry.
"If any hospital in the country wants to applythe method, we are ready to assign a doctor and nurse to guide them,"said Phuong.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thu Trang, a doctor from the National Paediatrics Hospital in Hanoi lauded the technique.
"But the costs of the equipment is high and the hospital needs support from medical organisations to buy it," Trang said.-VNA
"It is agreat success for medicine in this country as choking is one of thethree leading causes of fatalities and after-effects in newborns," saidthe head of the hospital's Newborn Recovery Ward, Cam Ngoc Phuong.
In Vietnam , about 3-5 live births per 1,000 suffer from choking,which cuts off oxygen to the victims' brains, leading to epilepsy andcerebral palsy, she said. The global rate is 2 per 1,000 live births.
The newborn can chokie if the mother begins labour too late or toofast, the foetus's position is unnormal, the labour lasts too long orthe delivery is difficult, said Phuong.
Before, victimscan receive supportive treatment such as oxygen, heart and lungmedications and convulsion-prevention medicines.
"The treatment can prevent injuries to the heart, liver and kidneys, but it cannot improve wounds in brain," said Phuong.
The technique of reducing the newborn's body temperature has beenapplied in the US and Europe since 2002, she noted. This year, thehospital assigned two doctors to study the technique in Denmark .
With the technique, doctors use special equipment to reduce thenewborn's temperature to 33-34 degree Celsius within 72 hours todecrease the number of brain cells being damaged by the lack of oxygenand prevent injuries caused by brain oedema.
"It is notcomplicated to apply the technique, but the most important thing issupervising the baby's condition during the treatment period," Phuongsaid.
The only difficulty in the technique is that the expense for the machine of reducing the body temperature is high, she added.
Ho Tan Thanh Binh, a doctor in the ward, said the first baby in thecountry to receive the technique was a 3.6kg girl born by caesariansection in February. After the delivery, the baby lost consciousness.
After being treated with the technique, she recovered and was discharged from hospital when she was 12 days old, said Binh.
So far, seven newborns have received the technique, and were discharged from the hospital in stable condition.
"The technique should be applied for newborns under six hours old," Binh said.
After being discharged from the hospital, the newborn should bere-checked every four or six months and receive physical therapy for thebest results, he said.
Phuong noted that the treatmentcosts the patient's family about 2 million VND (100 USD). "The price ismuch cheaper than that in foreign countries as we cover the costs of theequipment only, while other countries factor in costs of beds andservices" said Phuong.
Doctors from the hospital havepresented the technique in seminars in HCM City and provinces inthe central region in the hopes of expanding the technique all over thecountry.
"If any hospital in the country wants to applythe method, we are ready to assign a doctor and nurse to guide them,"said Phuong.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thu Trang, a doctor from the National Paediatrics Hospital in Hanoi lauded the technique.
"But the costs of the equipment is high and the hospital needs support from medical organisations to buy it," Trang said.-VNA
