Five-day old baby saved with ‘rare’ nasal operation in Bangladesh

ENT surgeons have performed a “rare” nasal operation on a five-day old baby born prematurely in Bangladesh.

Prof Md Zillur Rahman, who did this endoscopic laser-assisted surgery for a bilateral “choanal atresia”, told bdnews24.com on Tuesday that this was “first of its kind” procedure in Bangladesh.

Choanal atresia is a congenital condition when a baby is born with the nasal airway blockage. The cause is unknown, but it can kill a child, if undiagnosed, as newborns generally breathe through their nose.

Mohammad Shahin, the uncle of the girl child whose father lives abroad, told bdnews24.com she was still under intensive care for pneumonia.

“But her nasal operation was successful,” he said.

Surgery of choanal atresia with endoscopic laser-assisted technique is a new addition to Bangladesh’s modern medical treatment.

New techniques are being practiced by different disciplines regularly, though in general people lack confidence in the overall healthcare system.

A recent report said Bangladeshis travel to India even for simple pathological tests.

Prof Rahman termed this surgery a “milestone” that required “a strong team of anaesthesiologist and neonatologist”.

“We did this a week ago at the United Hospital as they have all the facilities for this kind of surgery,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to put a five-day premature baby on anaesthetics. Due to her nasal airway blockage, she also suffers from heart, lung and kidney problems”.

“It is one of the least known birth defects as it affects one in 7,000 births,” Prof Rahman said.

“It is more risky when it is bilateral that means both sides of the nasal passage are blocked,” added the physician.