Rohit Shishodia
An 8-month-old baby girl battling for life after an accident was saved by doctors at a Mumbai hospital who performed a complex brain surgery upon her.

The doctors performed craniotomy, a surgery to cut a bony opening in the skull. The baby spent over 2 weeks on a ventilator and was then shifted to the general ward. The baby, Misha (name changed), is discharged now and is recovering well.

Misha was sitting with her father in the front seat of the car which was dashed by the bike while returning from Gorai, Borivali. Other family members sustained minor injuries, whereas baby Misha was fighting for life.

Dr. Ankit Gupta, Lead Paediatric Critical Care Specialist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai, said: “This baby was in the front seat with her father after a bike dashed against the car, and the airbags opened. The active airbags inflated and the baby was caught between the airbags and the father’s head.”

Dr Gupta further added, “She sustained a complex head injury and came in an emergency. She was comatose on presentation and had a depressed skull fracture and the fragments of the fracture were pressing against the brain.”

“Few fragments had torn the important veins in the brain. This led to increased hemorrhage which was dangerously compressing the vital centers of the brain making it extremely life-threatening. After stabilizing her and counseling the family, the baby was administered emergency craniotomy,” said Dr Gupta.

After 2 hours of surgery, the girl was in the ICU and on the ventilator for 2 weeks, she had a stormy postoperative course

Dr. Vinod Rambal, Consultant Neurosurgeon, said, “A craniotomy is a surgery to cut a bony opening in the skull. A section of the skull, known as a bone flap, is taken out to enable access to the brain underneath and remove the hematomas that are blood clots from the left side of the brain before it causes damage. Then, the bone flap was closed.

Dr. Dipesh Pimpale, Consultant Neurologist, said, “The child developed refractory seizures and raised intracranial pressure. Treating the same was very challenging. At the time of discharge, the baby was active, playful, and tolerating feeds and recognizing her parents.”

“Currently, with anti-seizure medicines and physiotherapy, she is improving and gaining her milestones. Her recovery is promising and she will require follow-up till she is 4 to 5 years of age to look for brain and body development,” added Dr Pimpale.

The patient’s father, Salil Mehra, said, “We were elated on the birth of our first baby. Adhering to the Covid norms, we planned a family outing, and unfortunately, met with an accident. My wife was inconsolable and wept after Misha was unconscious due to a head injury.”

“Our world came crashing down as my baby didn’t respond. We were disturbed and felt helpless seeing her in pain. But we didn’t lose hope as the doctors assured us that they will treat her. We are proud of her as she was able to cheat death with the help of the doctors,” said the father.

In a general advice to people, doctors said, “If you are traveling with a baby, make sure to install the car seat in the middle of the back seat. Do not install a rear-facing car seat in the front seat if there is an active passenger airbag as that will lead to injuries to the baby. See that the harness straps fit the baby properly and do not leave your baby alone in the car seat.”