Delhi: Two-year-old girl who weighed 45 kg undergoes bariatric surgery
What's the story
A two-year-old girl who weighed nearly 45 kg and was wheelchair-bound was operated upon for removal of a part of her stomach at a private hospital in Delhi, with the hospital claiming she could be the youngest bariatric surgery patient in the country in over a decade. Doctors at the Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj performed the surgery.
Procedure
The procedure gives a feeling of fullness to patients
"Since bariatric surgery for children is rare, this case can be termed to be the youngest bariatric surgery patient in India in over a decade. The procedure had to be conducted as a medical emergency," the hospital stated. The procedure of bariatric surgery gives a feeling of fullness to patients and reduces their hunger, causing weight loss and significant improvements in health.
Weight
The child weighed 14 kg at six months: Doctor
This is owing to the fact that the new stomach pouch holds a smaller volume than the normal stomach and reduces the amount of food intake. Dr. Manpreet Sethi, Consultant, Paediatric Endocrinology, said, "The child was normal at the time of birth and weighed 2.5 kg. However, she started gaining weight rapidly soon after birth and weighed 14 kg at six months."
Growth
Her weight kept increasing progressively
"She has an elder brother who is eight years old and has normal growth milestones for his age. Her weight progressively increased over the next year and a half reaching 45 kg at two years and three months," Dr. Sethi said. A child that age having normal growth milestones weighs between 12 and 15 kg.
Information
She developed significant obstructive sleep apnea: Doctor
Dr. Sethi said that her condition worsened to the extent that she developed significant obstructive sleep apnea with multiple pauses in her breathing during sleep and she was unable to sleep lying down on her back.
Operation
It was a multi-disciplinary team decision to operate her: Doctor
Dr. Vivek Bindal, HOD at the Max Institute of Minimal Access, Bariatric & Robotic Surgery, said it was a "multi-disciplinary" team decision to operate the girl. Dr. Bindal said that the non-availability of any referral literature or technical video of such a procedure in a small child was a challenge as also the fact that the staplers and instruments are designed for adults.
Information
The child has been put on a special diet
Post-surgery, Khayati has been put on a special diet to gradually decrease her weight while maintaining nutrition requirements. She is expected to lose weight over the next year and grow up as a normal adult. She is undergoing rehabilitation to build strength in her limbs.