Survival Rate of a Baby Twins Born at 21 Weeks
Guinness Earth Records officially named Curtis Means, born at 21 weeks and 1 day at UAB Infirmary, the most premature babe to survive.
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Videography: Andrea Reiber, Jeff Myers, Carson Young and Steve Wood.
In Apr 2021, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of measurement squad celebrated as Curtis Means was discharged afterwards 275 days in the infirmary. Six months subsequently, Curtis and his team held another commemoration as he was officially named the world's near premature infant to survive past Guinness World Records.
Curtis Means was born at 21 weeks and one 24-hour interval at UAB Hospital. Built-in a fighter
Equally fireworks filled the Fourth of July night sky, Michelle Butler went into labor at only 21 weeks and one day gestation. She raced to her local hospital and was soon transferred to UAB Infirmary, where she gave birth to premature twins, Curtis and C'Asya, effectually 1 p.m. on July 5, 2020.
Brian Sims, G.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics in the UAB Partition of Neonatology, was the attending physician on-call when Butler arrived.
"Numbers show that babies born then young have lilliputian to no chances of survival," Sims said. "Nosotros typically advise for empathetic care in situations of such extremely preterm births. This allows the parents to hold their babies and cherish what petty time they may take together."
Sims told Butler the intendance team would accept their lead from the babies, see how they respond and let them tell the team what path to take. The twins had a less than 1 percentage chance of survival.
The RNICU team jumped into activeness. Nurses started mail-birth care, and respiratory therapists quickly hooked them upward to ventilators and oxygen, all hoping to increase the babies' chances of survival. C'Asya shortly showed signs she was too premature. She passed away a solar day afterwards.
Curtis, however, showed signs of improvement. His heart rate and oxygen levels increased with resuscitation and additional oxygen. He was fighting for life.
Left: Michelle Butler gives Curtis pare-to-skin care every bit a way to assistance his evolution.
Right: Dr. Brian Sims and Curtis during his stay in the RNICU. It takes a hamlet
When Colm Travers, K.D., assistant professor in the Sectionalization of Neonatology, arrived at the UAB RNICU the side by side morning time, he was astounded to see Curtis live and responding well to treatment. Travers researches periviable infants, those born at the limits of viability, and could non call back knowing of an infant surviving at a younger gestational age than Curtis.
A baby built-in that young takes information technology one step at a time. After surviving the starting time day, Curtis needed to make it through the first week. The RNICU team immediately activated the UAB Golden Week Program™, a multidisciplinary effort that includes clinical guidance on respiratory back up, thermoregulation, diet and fluid direction, infection prevention, and neurological status.
"When taking care of severely premature babies, you have to accept it step-by-stride and mean solar day-by-mean solar day," said Travers, who is co-director of the Golden Week Plan™. "The plan combines evidence-based medicine and best practices to increment a premature baby'due south survival chances during their first week of life. The program has resulted in a marked reduction in mortality or astringent intraventricular hemorrhage within the first week of life."
Curtis continued defying odds, to his family'southward and the squad's anaesthesia. He survived the kickoff week. And so the kickoff month. His journey at UAB, however, was far from over.
Curtis received 'circular-the-clock care over the next nine months. Spoken language therapists worked to assistance him starting time using his oral fissure and learn to eat. Respiratory therapists supported his breathing through various efforts every bit he came off the breathing machine. Nurses provided daily care, from checking vitals to soothing him to slumber, to supporting Butler as she learned the intricate intendance Curtis needed.
"There were days when we were unsure that he would survive," said Sumita Gray, an RNICU nurse on Curtis' team. "He was the youngest baby anyone had worked with, but we are a level 4 RNICU and knew we had the resource and expertise to back up Curtis and his mom. Nosotros were adamant to see him go domicile."
Care team members celebrate Curtis's belch on April 6, 2021 afterward 275 days in the RNICU. Graduation day
After 275 days in the UAB RNICU, Curtis was discharged on Apr half dozen, 2021, a day filled with joy and a footling atheism. A baby with a less than ane per centum run a risk of survival was healthy enough to go dwelling to his family.
The squad gathered to give their goodbyes and offering words of communication to Butler, specifically to savour the time she has with Curtis.
"Beingness able to finally take Curtis home and surprise my older children with their younger blood brother is a moment I will always remember," Butler said. "It was a difficult journey, but I am grateful for the UAB team and their constant support. They took the time to educate me and made sure I knew what was happening every step of the manner. They truly cared nearly my son and me."
Before leaving, Travers reminded Butler about a conversation they had when Curtis was born. Travers thought that Curtis may be the youngest baby born non only in the country, but in the world. Travers connected researching records during Curtis' stay and never institute a more premature baby who survived. With Butler's permission, Travers reached out to Guinness Earth Records in hopes his hunch was correct.
Globe record holder
6 months after Curtis' belch, his care team gathered outside the UAB Women and Infants Eye, where he was born. There they surprised Butler and Curtis with an important certificate that read:
Guinness World Records – The nearly premature baby to survive is Curtis Zy-Keith Ways (UsaA.) who was born to Michelle Butler on five July 2020 at the Academy of Alabama at Birmingham Infirmary in Alabama, U.Due south.A. at a gestational historic period of 21 weeks 1 day or 148 days, making him 132 days premature.
Curtis and Michelle reunite with members from his care squad exterior of the UAB Women and Infants Center to gloat his Guinness World Records title.
Photography: Andrea Mabry The team saw the culmination of their collaboration, research, programs and expertise in the smile of a happy, healthy one-year-former boy.
"Curtis defied all scientific odds," Travers said. "Gestational age and birth weight are two fundamental predictors of a premature baby's survival, and other factors include if the baby is a female, a single birth and if the female parent was administered steroids that help with lung development before nascence. Curtis did not run into any of these criteria."
While Curtis presented a unique opportunity for the NICU team to put years of do, experience and research to the test, he also offered the team a unique opportunity to study something that no other hospital in the world has had the opportunity to practise.
"He is truly the globe's North=1 babe," Sims said. "We practise not know what all the time to come will hold for Curtis since there is no one else like him. He started writing his own story the day he was born. That story will be read and studied past many and, hopefully, will help ameliorate care of premature infants around the earth."
Source: https://www.uab.edu/news/health/item/12427-uab-hospital-delivers-record-breaking-premature-baby
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