Sydney strong after persistent pulmonary hypertension
After an uncomplicated pregnancy,
Diane gave birth to her second daughter, Sydney, in Lake Forest Hospital.
Though Diane's labor was long and the birth was slightly early, nothing had
prepared the young mother and her husband, Rod, for the frightful days that were
ahead. Just before or during the stress of her birth, Sydney inhaled fecal
material (known as meconium) which she had expelled into the amniotic fluid of
her mother's womb.
"I was told that about 10 percent of newborns have meconium aspiration,"
says Diane, "but in most cases, the babies inhale only a small amount or it
doesn't go down very far into the lungs. Usually only about one percent of those
10 percent have any serious respiratory problems."
One of the unlucky ones
Sydney, however, was one of the unlucky ones and soon had
developed a very serious lung condition known as persistent pulmonary hypertension
, which is
commonly associated with meconium aspiration.
Within several hours she was transferred to a Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit
(NICU) at another hospital-which, like Children's Memorial NICU, carries a Level
III designation. Level III neonatal intensive care nurseries are the state's
designation for nurseries that offer the highest-acuity intensive care services.
But good care wasn't enough; Sydney needed even more. After five days of
treatment, her condition was not improving, and she was nearing the seven-day
cut-off point for a highly advanced mechanical support system known as ECMO.
For the best care, it was Children's Memorial
Sydney's doctors were anxious to move her to a hospital where the treatment
was available if needed. Children's Memorial is one of only two hospitals in
Chicago and 80 in the nation that have the depth and breadth of qualified staff
and the technological expertise to offer ECMO.
On Saturday, May 8th, Sydney was transferred to
Children's Memorial under the care of Robin
Steinhorn, MD , head of the Division
of Neonatology. "Sydney needed the additional safety net of Children's ECMO
program and the other advanced treatments we can provide," says Dr. Steinhorn.
"Not all NICUs have the equipment or staff to provide this top level of care."
Children's Memorial is one of only two hospitals in Chicago
that have the depth and breadth of qualified staff and the technological
expertise to offer ECMO.
The baby was immediately put on a regimen of a mixture of oxygen and nitric
oxide, a treatment still considered experimental by the Food and Drug
Administration but widely recognized as the treatment of choice for newborns
with the kind of severe respiratory distress that Sydney had.
Within 24 hours, Sydney's condition improved, and on Mother's Day
the family learned that their baby daughter would not have to undergo ECMO after all.
"That was a great Mother's Day gift," says Diane. Having avoided ECMO did not
put Sydney out of danger's reach. She received the nitric oxide and oxygen
mixture for several more days, and then the challenge was to wean the newborn
off the life-saving gas.
Thanks in part to research now underway at Children's Memorial, that was
gradually accomplished in a way that reduced the stress to the infant's
recovering lungs. The strategy was successful, and finally after five weeks at
Children's Memorial, Sydney went home. Though minor feeding problems continued
for weeks after discharge, Sydney is growing and developing well.
Children's Memorial Hospital seeks philanthropic funding to enhance its
programs and services. As a proud partner of the Children's Miracle Network
(CMN), all funds raised in the Chicago area through CMN also benefit Children's
Memorial. To find out how your support can help the hospital better serve
children and families, please contact the Children's Memorial Foundation at
773.880.4237 or Foundation@childrensmemorial.org.