“There is no better feeling than the movement of life inside you.”
I’m sure mama’s and to-be-mama’s will agree, the excitement that a life inside the womb brings in. It is the beginning of a new hope, a new dream full of pure love. Honestly, all of God’s grace is in that one tiny face, we bring into this world.
But this journey could go eerie for few of us. Due to lifestyle changes, frequent health issues, abundance of chemical exposures, unwanted stress, Preterm birth stats have been soaring. Not just in India, but globally preterm births have seen an increase.
Preterm babies and NICU :
Did you know that 1 in 10 babies are born preterm and around 1 million children die each year, due to complications of preterm birth? ~Basis WHO report
These figures are quite scary and a mum can easily get goosebumps reading these stats. We can never afford to lose our beloved neonates, they are more precious than our own lives. A Preterm baby is one who is born alive before 37 weeks of gestation. While the normal gestation is around 39-40 weeks, babies who take birth before 37 weeks can be classified as :
- Extremely preterm, babies born in less than 28 weeks
- Very preterm, babies born between 28 to 32 weeks
- Moderate to late preterm, babies born between 32 to 37 weeks
Neonates who are born preterm are quite vulnerable with respect to many developmental and growth factors. They are more prone towards acquired infections, damage to critical organs as lungs, brains and senses. This results in various disorders and developmental delays for preterm babies. Preterm birth complications are also major cause of death for children below 5 years. Although, 70%-75% premature babies can be saved, but that requires quick action, an accurate monitoring, advanced clinical interventions and an effective care.
India has the highest preterm birth rate in the world, accounting for 23% of preterm babies born globally.
Current care for preterm babies :
Newborn babies /Preterm babies in the need intensive medical care are admitted into NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Infants are kept under consistent monitoring, with respect to nutrition, vital performances and to observe the impact of treatment. All these are monitored manually every hour or so by nurses and doctors. Recently, I got a chance to attend the launch of eNICU by Apollo Cradle, where dignitaries as Dr. Anupam Sibal (Medical director, Apollo Hospitals group), Dr. Avneet Kaur (Senior consultant, Neonatology, Apollo Cradle), Dr. Gaurav Jawa (Senior Neonatology and Paediatric Consultant , Apollo Cradle) were present.
Dr. Avneet Kaur shared, “Even the calculations of drug dosage and nutrition, as per the changing weight of the baby, are done manually. The real-time data such as heart rate, coming from devices connected to the baby, is noted manually (on an hourly basis by considering only the maximum/average values).”
This manual intervention can result in lots of errors. Also the data by these devices is usually stored for 72 hours only, so lots of analytics, historical understanding’s could remain uncharted. This gap was identified by Apollo Hospitals and then began the process of integrating advanced technology into clinical procedures.
What is eNICU by Apollo Hospital?
“eNICU combines advanced technology, predictive modelling with automated workflows for the most specialized and effective care of babies.”The workflow is automated from the day a baby is admitted in NICU, till the discharge day. It is a form of conglomeration of data from multiple monitoring devices into a single interface. The data is stored on the cloud, so that health care professionals can access it anytime, without worries of losing it in 72 hours. To reduce the errors, this system has automatic calculators. These calculators are are used for analysing, ordering, prescribing and monitoring the feed and medication status of a baby in NICU. Even the progress notes and discharge summary is generated during the hospital stay of the baby.
Benefits of eNICU :
This advanced integration has been done across 100+ chains of Apollo Cradle Hospitals, a specialized chain for Mother-baby experience. Here are some benefits of eNICU :
- Real time monitoring and data reporting of the baby (more so preterm baby in NICU) : This enhances the efficiency, as it supports quick and precise clinical decisions basis neonate’s performance.
- Predictive modelling : Many factors are contemplated by the inbuilt algorithms, which helps in predicting the clinical conditions of a baby in the upcoming days. For example, It can predict the possible infection a baby might suffer from.
- Enabling remote access, in the form of hub-spoke model across all the chains of Apollo Cradle . This would help nurses and resident doctors to attain help on quick clinical decisions during critical times from their hub zones.
- Zero manual errors : No manual intervention is required from nurses and doctors, as all readings are automated and this results in a better accuracy.
- Complete track of clinical data and outcomes : Important for historical readings and data analysing.
- Deep analytics for effective care of a preterm baby.
Doesn’t that sounds a landmark advancement from Apollo Hospitals for the Apollo Cradle chain? Personally, I feel that this integration needs to be replicated across all hospitals in India, to have a better survival rate amongst Preterm babies .
We need this one giant leap forward. Thanks Apollo hospitals for spreading the joy of motherhood. A baby fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty.
Have a blessed Motherhood!
References :
https://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.who.int/
Must say this is really an informative post and this integration needs to be replicated across all the hospitals in India
Wow loved your blog. and this post is extremely informative. this service seems very useful and helps a lot to parents. you had explained everything so properly.
Hey Jhilmil, thanks for such details. It’s so important to bring awareness for premature delivery of babies. Proper care must be taken of the baby to ensure proper growth and health. System of Apollo Hospitals seems to be a perfect one
When I read about preterm babies feel so connected…my baby was in NICU FOR MORE THAN 2 months being a preterm baby…this is something really great for parents who are looking for perfect care for their preterm babies …thanks Appllo hospital
Oh I didn’t know that 1 in 10 babies are born preterm. That’s a serious concern actually thankfully Apollo cradle now has NICU now.
Losing a baby is so painful… If preterm babies can be saved and any issue can be prevented, it is a great thing! Kudos to Apollo hospitals for doing this!
Loved the way u had studied such a niche topic and explained it in sucha beautiful way, thank you for sharing, would definitely share it with my friends too
When My son was born out many babies he was the only one who was kept without an artifical oxygen pipe or any other medical assistance. Thank God for that but I really feel for those parents who have preterm babies. Thanks to better facilities now available in Apollo cradle via eNICU.
This is incredible news and was need of the hour! Manual observations can lead to many errors and like you mentioned the data used to be stored for only 72 hours means no reference to past data available. In any complex case, there won’t be any case studies either. Now machines integrated with clinical procedures will not only help in reducing errors but also keep data/records for longer.
This is such a great news Jhilmil. I see there was a lot of gap even in such high end hospitals. I’m glad Apollo identified that gap and is able to launch NICU. I hope there will be less errors going forward.
That’s a very informative post. It’s a good thing to make people aware about premature delivery of babies.
Being a mother I can’t imagine the stress the parents of a premature baby go through. Extremely informative post. Sharing it further.
While some of the information is known, you have stressed on topics such as preterm birth statistics which is quite shocking.
during my second pregnancy, I was shocked to know that many hospitals do not know to have ICU for the newborn. it’s great news that Apollo cradle has come up with this innovation.
Such initiatives are great steps in the prevention of neonatal mortality rate in our Country. As I read somewhere India has a huge percentage of pre-term born deaths.
Apollo is doing great.
Yeah preterm child has so many complications and a good medical treatment is much needed. Great Initiative taken by Apollo cradle
Thank you for this information. I’m planning my second child soon and it’s always helpful to know which hospital has the best state-of-the-art facilities to offer.
Great Post
Such initiatives are required. ALl a parent wants is best care for their newborn so that they are safe and healthy. Pre term babies get into so many complications.
This so such a great news. When it comes to quality healthcare service providers across the globe, Apollo tops the chart. Great to know about the eNICU by Apollo
This is a very nice thing Apollo has come up with. The post is really informative and helpful for everyone. Its great to know there is something for preterm babies.
Now the parent can have a sigh of relief with this technology. Apollo cradle know how to take care of the patient in their best way
Apollo cradle hospital with has good services related to maternity and preand postnatal care. Looks like an informative session.
Oh! I didn’t know the death rate of preterm babies is so high! It is sad! 🙁 Really appreciate that Apollo hospitals have come up with this eNICU!
A good NICU facility is essential for a good hospital. This post is very informative thansk for sharing.
I have known people who had pre-term babies, who have struggled hard to keep them alive. With such initiatives it really great for such babies and parents.
Wow very innovative and informative blog
My two friends are pregnant and I will definitely inform them about this. It’s very useful and the concept is very good.
As digital area is growing every sector is growing in their own field. The concept of ebook is very informative and innovative. And in today’s world the primi needs this kind of infornation.
It is so painful by knowing that 1out of 10 babies are preterm and in India the death of preterm babies is high. Appolo hospital is really doing a great job. It should be done across all hospitals in India.
Preterm babies need specialised care. Apollo is doing a great job by providing these brilliant services. This is useful information, Jhilmil. Will certainly recommend this to anyone who might need it.
Apollo Cradle is one of the trusted brand when it comes to handling premature deliveries. They have the right doctors and equipments to take care of preterm babies. Your article is very insightful.
Wow, such an informative post. It will definitely help many parents. Great initiative taken by Apollo.
This is such an amazing blog read. Though I am a bit scared about the idea of pregnancy, it’s good to know hospitals are taking great initiative to caring about the newborns.