AIIMS doctors perform keyhole lung surgery on 50-day-old baby

Sneha Richhariya

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 18

A life-saving thoracoscopic (keyhole) lung surgery was performed on a critically ill 50-day-old baby weighing only 2.5 kg, the doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, said on Thursday. The child is believed to be the youngest and smallest infant in India to undergo such a complex procedure.

As per AIIMS doctors, the infant, referred from Bihar, was diagnosed with congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM), a rare condition in which part of the lung develops abnormally, preventing normal breathing.

The malformation in this case was unusually large and located on the right side of the chest, the doctors said. It compressed the left lung, leaving the baby gasping for breath. By the time the infant arrived at the AIIMS, his condition was critical, and he was placed on ventilator support. The child was admitted, stabilised, and prepared for surgery.

The doctors explained that for such a young infant, the challenges were considerable because of his very low weight and age. Instead of performing an open chest surgery, which would have required a large incision and prolonged recovery, the doctors chose a thoracoscopic or keyhole approach. In this minimally invasive technique, instruments as small as 3 to 5 millimetres were inserted into the chest along with a miniature camera, allowing surgeons to operate inside the baby’s thorax. The diseased portion of the right lung was carefully removed through an incision about one centimetre wide, the doctors said.

During the procedure, the baby experienced a dangerous dip in oxygen levels that required an immediate response.

Dr Vishesh Jain, Professor, Department of Paediatric Surgery, AIIMS, who led the surgical team said, “Operating on a 50-day-old infant weighing only 2.5 kg truly pushes the boundaries of what is possible with minimally invasive surgery.”

Following the operation, the child recovered steadily and was soon able to breathe without ventilator support, the surgical team informed.