Vietnam sees great strides in saving extremely premature low weight infants

About 20 years ago, doctors could handle cases in which newborns were at least one kg.

The National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology on January 3 announced that its doctors had successfully nurtured a 500-gram premature baby weighing only 500 grams at 25 weeks' gestation.

Dr. Le Minh Trac, director of the hospital’s Centre for Neonatal Care and Treatment, said that premature and low-weight newborns are at high risk of feeding difficulties and being susceptible to infection. Doctors have successfully applied strategies to raise extremely low birth weight babies such as intubation from the beginning, early massage, and early feeding.

The baby was fed breast milk from the beginning and completely gastrointestinal on day 12. In the 40th day, the baby got pneumonia, however, after that, he got better.

With the efforts of the centre’s doctors and nurses, the baby thrived spectacularly. Overcoming all difficulties, on January 3, the baby was 97 days old (equivalent to 38 weeks' gestation), weighing 2 kilos. The baby could breathe air on his own and smile spontaneously. He also had a good sucking reflex.

The success is a result of very strict care of pregnant women and newborns by obstetricians and pediatricians at the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Earlier, in September 2021, the hospital made a record when saving an infant weighing just 400 grams.

Now, the survival rate among premature infants with the weight of 1-1.5 kg reaches nearly 90% while those with the weight of less than 1 kg have a survial rate of nearly 30%.

In February this year, doctors at the Hanoi Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology saved a newborn who weighed only 400 grams after 27 weeks' gestation.
According to doctors, the baby faced the risk of asphyxiation in the delivery room and respiratory failure after birth.

After 20 minutes of intensive resuscitation, the baby's beige skin was pinker, and the baby had reflexes of limbs and opened her eyes. The baby was put on a ventilator and transferred to an incubator. After nearly four months, thanks to intensive treatment and nurturing, the baby was 2.1 kg and was returned to her mother.

Another 400-gram premature baby was born at Bach Mai Hospital on August 3, 2022, in 22 weeks and four days of pregnancy.

She was the most premature and smallest baby that has been saved in Vietnam.

According to the hospital, the infant was raised in an incubator for three months and four days. After that, she was transferred to intensive care room.

At that time, a US expert examined her and was surprised that her brain was developing normally despite she was born very prematurely.

Doctors at different departments in Bach Mai Hospital joined hands to save and raise her successfully.

Ten years ago, Vietnam's obstetrics and gynecology marked a milestone when it successfully saved a premature baby weighing 500 grams.

The number of successful cases has increased year by year. The survival rate of premature babies under one kilo increased from 18% to 40% in 2011.

In the US which has the most advanced neonatal care techniques, the premature birth rate of infants weighing 500 grams is 41%, while the rate at Vietnam’s National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology is 31%.