At the age of two, the weight of the girl child was 45 kg, bariatric surgery was done in Delhi

At the age of just two and a half years, the weight of the girl had reached 45 kg, due to which she started having trouble in turning and breathing.

A two-year-old girl weighing 45 kg has been operated upon in a Delhi hospital. The hospital has claimed that she is the "youngest patient to undergo bariatric surgery" in the country in more than a decade. Due to obesity, the condition of the girl was so bad that she could not even turn on the bed and had to take the support of a wheelchair.

Doctors at Max Super Specialty Hospital, Patparganj performed abdominal surgery on the girl child to reduce the weight. The hospital said in a statement, “The case of bariatric surgery for children is rare. Hence this case can be termed as the youngest patient of bariatric surgery in India in more than a decade. This procedure was done due to emergency medical need. After the procedure of bariatric surgery, patients experience a feeling of fullness and loss of appetite due to loss of weight and significant improvement in health.

What do Pediatric experts say?

Pediatric Endocrinology Consultant Dr. Manpreet Sethi said, “The baby was normal at birth and weighed 2.5 kg. However, soon his weight started increasing rapidly and in six months he weighed 14 kilograms. The girl's brother is eight years old. His weight is right for his age. For the next one and a half years, the girl's weight kept increasing and at the age of two years and three months, her weight became 45 kg. Generally, the weight of children at this age is between 12 and 15 kg.

Other problems being caused by obesity

Sethi said that the girl's health started deteriorating rapidly and there was a problem in breathing and sleep disturbances. She could not even turn properly and had to lie on her back. “It was a tough decision, but we decided to go for bariatric surgery to save his life.

The baby's weight had increased so much that even her parents could not take her in her arms and from the age of 10 months, she had to stay in a wheelchair.

The challenge was the surgery of such a small girl

Dr. Vivek Bindal, Head of Department, Max Institute of Minimal Access, Bariatric and Robotic Surgery said that several departments decided to work together for surgery.

Bindal said that the treatment method for adults is prevalent, but there was no reference or video etc available on treatment for such a young child. So this surgery was a challenge. Dr. Arun Puri, Head of the Department of Pain Management and Anesthesia said that even sedating the girl during the procedure of surgery was a challenge.

Special diet plan has been prepared 

After the surgery, a special diet table was prepared for the girl child and the weight was gradually reduced while maintaining the nutritional level. Weight loss is expected for next year and normal weight gain after that. The team of doctors will continue to closely monitor the girl child. The girl's father said that the battle is half won and they have a long way to go.

He said, “The last two years were very difficult for us and the decision to go for surgery was very difficult as no treatment method was already known for a child of this age.