42-days-old baby beats COVID-19 after over a week on ventilator in Kolkata
A newborn baby, who was on ventilator support for more than a week after being diagnosed with COVID-19, was discharged from a hospital in Kolkata on Friday following recovery. The baby boy, born to a couple from the Ripon Street area in central Kolkata, was found to be positive for COVID-19 a few days after his birth, PTI reported.
The baby, now 42 days old, was admitted to the hospital on August 17 with high fever, breathing trouble as well as urinary tract infection.
"The baby was not responding to dopamine (a neurotransmitter that plays several important roles in the brain) and so was put on the ventilator," a doctor told PTI.
"The heart was functioning at 35 per cent and needed ventilator support and several drugs," the doctor said.
The baby showed slight improvement when immunoglobulin was administered, he said.
"Both the lungs were affected. So, we decided to administer steroids and anti-virals, which are actually meantfor adults. It was then that the baby started responding well, and finally, the functioning of his heart and lungs stabilised," he said.
He is now absolutely fine but will require some follow-ups. I am so happy after treating him," the doctor said.
(With PTI inputs)
