Hyderabad: 23rd December, 2023: In an extraordinary testament to medical brilliance and resilience, Ankura Hospital, a premier women and child care hospital, saved life of a six-year-old girl with myriad of life-threatening conditions. Diagnosed with Dengue-Multi Organ Dysfunction Syndrome, perforation peritonitis and fungal sepsis, the young patient was brought to Ankura Hospital for Women and Children, Madinaguda Center, in critical condition, exhibiting symptoms including fever, seizures, breathing difficulty, altered behavior and blood in stools. Initial investigations suggested that she had developed acute liver failure, renal failure and alarmingly low platelet counts. Her condition was extremely critical. She was immediately attended by an expert team of doctors from Ankura Hospital, Madinaguda.
She was admitted to the state-of-the-art level 3 Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the hospital. The girl’s condition demanded advanced intensive care interventions and monitoring. She was placed on ventilator support, given medications to improve her blood pressure, and blood products to stabilize. Investigations revealed that she had dengue. “The initial stages of her treatment saw a significant improvement in her respiratory function, and we could successfully extubate her after initial ventilator support, to a nasal cannula and room air oxygen,” says Dr. S Kalyan Kunchapudi, Pediatric Intensivist, Ankura Hospital for women and children.
However, the medical journey took an unexpected turn as the patient developed perforation peritonitis, which is one of the rare complications of dengue illness, necessitating an emergency laparotomy. Pediatric surgeon Dr Jamir Arlikar discovered and successfully addressed around 15 perforations in the small bowel. Despite initial healing, the young girl faced further challenges, leading to a second laparotomy and bowel repair. Additionally, she battled a fungal infection of the bowel, requiring targeted antifungal treatments.
She had multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, and each organ system was carefully examined and attended to stabilize her medical condition. “She is one such child who needed multidisciplinary care in ICU with constant monitoring by specialists of different pediatric superspecialists including pediatric gastroenterologist, nephrologist and neurologist. Her multiorgan failure – kidney, liver, bleeding – coagulation were tackled meticulously and she recovered completely from them” Said Dr. Kalyan.
After 6 weeks of battle and achieving stability, the team started customised rehabilitation programme. Now the patient can walk without support, and has started writing and painting.
“After a prolonged and intricate journey, the six-year-old has been successfully discharged in a stable condition,” says a relieved and happy Dr Vasudha B, Pediatric Intensivist, at Ankura Hospital for Women and Children.
“I am extremely satisfied with the recovery and positive health outcomes in this complicated Dengue case. We work day in and day out at our center to deliver multidisciplinary and high-quality holistic healthcare, and the successful recovery, in this case, is an attestation of the tireless efforts of our team,” says Dr. P. Sandeep Reddy, Medical Director and Senior Pediatrician, Ankura hospital for women and children, Madinaguda.
The treatment’s success is attributed to the collaborative efforts of a dedicated team of expert intensivists, pediatric surgeons, and specialists, all working seamlessly under a single roof at Ankura Hospital for women and children. The recovery of the six-year-old stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment of the medical community and the power of collaborative expertise in the face of complex medical challenges.
