Premature twins battled hernia, heart defect; discharged after 105 days in Cloudnine Hospital

Chennai: Twin sisters, hailed as "miracle babies," received a new lease on life after being born prematurely at 24 weeks and undergoing critical surgeries at a hospital in Chennai.

Weighing a mere 620 grams (twin 1) and 720 grams (twin 2), the babies faced daunting challenges from the outset. They required surgeries to address hernia and a congenital heart defect known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). For two months, they relied on ventilator support to aid their fragile respiratory systems, according to doctors at Cloudnine Hospital in Chennai.

According to a IANS report, “In this case, both the twins were born micro-preemies at 24 weeks and are indeed miracle babies as they had to undergo two major life-threatening surgeries for treating hernia and Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), a congenital heart defect. Both the twins were very sick, and their survival was doubtful in the early days of birth,” said Dr Dhilip Kumar S, senior consultant – Neonatologist and Paediatrician at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Chennai, OMR branch, said.  

Shortly after birth, the twins encountered further hurdles, including significant weight loss, breathing difficulties, and a slow start to their development. The babies had a drop in weight to 520 gm (twin 1) and 590 gm (twin 2) and required ventilator support.

Neither of the twin sisters opened their eyes for the first two weeks, and their length measured a little over 13 inches.

Later, twin 1 was diagnosed with stage 4 chronic lung disease, experiencing multiple lung collapses and unsuccessful extubation attempts, leading to prolonged dependence on oxygen for 90 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

She was also diagnosed with an inguinal hernia due to immature abdominal wall muscles, necessitating surgery to correct the condition.

Twin 2 did not cry at birth and also exhibited a low heart rate along with skin bleeding. An echocardiogram revealed the presence of a large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) -- a congenital heart defect where the ductus arteriosus fails to close after birth, news agency IANS reported.

While the ductus arteriosus serves as a vital foetal circulation route, allowing blood to bypass the lungs before birth, it should naturally close shortly after birth. However, in Twin 2's case, medical treatment failed to produce the desired response, resulting in the need for open-heart surgery to address the condition, the doctor said.

Following 105 days of stay at the hospital, the twins were discharged to return home while they weighed 2.2 kg (Twin 1) and 2.3 kg (Twin 2), respectively, the doctors said.