New Delhi, India : In one of the most time-sensitive paediatric emergencies managed in recent
months, a 9-month-old infant was clinically stabilised and discharged within
four days after being admitted to Rainbow
Children’s Hospital, Malviya Nagar, in a deeply comatose state. The child
was suffering from a rare metabolic disorder that had gone undiagnosed and had
escalated rapidly, leading to severe respiratory failure, liver enlargement,
and a life-threatening drop in blood pH.
The baby arrived at Rainbow’s Emergency Department
with a five-day history of poor feeding and increasing breathlessness. On
examination, she was non-responsive, with dangerously abnormal blood gas levels
and signs of multi-organ stress. The medical team identified a potential inborn
error of metabolism and moved swiftly to initiate critical interventions.
The child was transferred to the Paediatric Intensive
Care Unit (PICU) where she was intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation.
A decision was taken to initiate dialysis, a rare and high-risk intervention in
infants of this size. Rainbow’s paediatric nephrology team, with specific
expertise in infant dialysis, successfully performed continuous renal
replacement therapy (CRRT), helping to rapidly clear the metabolic toxins from
her system.
Within 24 hours of admission, the child showed
significant neurological recovery, stabilised respiratory function, and
improving lab parameters. A confirmed diagnosis of Long-Chain Fatty Acid
Oxidation Defect (LC-FAOD), a rare genetic disorder that affects the body’s
ability to break down certain fats during illness or fasting. She was
discharged on the fourth day, fully conscious, feeding well, and neurologically
intact, and continues to do well on follow-up with specialised dietary and
metabolic care.
Performing dialysis in such a small infant is
extremely rare. It required immediate multidisciplinary coordination, and we
are relieved she made a full recovery,” said Dr Chandarshekhar
Singha Senior Consultant- PEDIATRICS (HOD PICU).
Rainbow Children’s Hospital, Delhi, remains one of the
limited facilities in the region with full-spectrum paediatric emergency
services, round-the-clock PICU, and the capability to perform renal replacement
therapy in infants weighing less than 8 kg. This case underscores the value of
timely referral, specialised paediatric infrastructure, and clinical expertise
in managing complex, life-threatening presentations in children.
About Rainbow Children’s Hospital
Rainbow Children’s Medicare Limited network comprises
of 20 hospitals and 5 clinics in 7 cities, with a total bed capacity of 2,035 beds.
Our Paediatric services operating under the brand “Rainbow Children’s Hospital”
includes new born and Paediatric intensive care, Paediatric multi-specialty
services, Paediatric quaternary care (including organ transplantation); whereas
our women care services under “Birthright by Rainbow” offers perinatal care
services which includes normal and complex obstetric care, multi-disciplinary
fetal care, perinatal genetic and fertility care along with gynaecology
services.
Rainbow Children’s Hospital built on strong
fundamentals of a multidisciplinary approach with a full-time consultant led
clinical service along with 24/7 commitment in a child centric environment. The
company follows a hub-and-spoke operating model where the hub hospital provides
comprehensive outpatient, inpatient care, with a focus on tertiary and
quaternary services, while the spokes provide 24/7 emergency care, large
outpatient services and comprehensive obstetrics, Paediatric inpatient and
level 3 NICU services. This model is successfully operational at Hyderabad and
is gaining traction in Bengaluru. The endeavour is to replicate this approach
in Chennai and across the National Capital Region. Subsequently Rainbow intends
to expand into tier-2 cities of Southern India.
Rainbow Children’s Hospital embraces a unique doctor
engagement model, where doctors work exclusively on a full-time, retainer
basis. The doctors work in teams and have 24/7 commitment, which is
particularly important for children’s emergency, neonatal, Paediatric intensive
care services and to support Paediatric retrieval services. The Company also
operates the country’s largest Paediatric DNB training program in private
healthcare, offering post graduate residential DNB and fellowship program. For
more information, log on to: https://www.rainbowhospitals.in/
