In the state of Iowa in the USA, baby Nash Keane, who was born 133 days before the expected date of birth, celebrated his first birthday and officially entered the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s most premature baby to survive. About this reportedAssociated Press agency.
The boy was born in the 21st week of pregnancy and weighed only 283 grams – that’s why doctors compared him to a bar of soap. After his birth, Nash spent six months in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital before doctors allowed his parents to take him home in January.
For Molly and Randall Keen, this baby was a long-awaited gift after a tragic experience – their first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. It was then that doctors discovered a pathology in the woman that could prevent the normal carrying of a child to full term.
Usually, doctors do not resuscitate babies who were born before 22 weeks, because the chances of survival in such cases are critically low. However, neonatologists at Stead Family Medical Center in Iowa have a specialized protocol for saving babies born as late as 21 weeks. In Molly’s case, premature labor began even before reaching this term, but thanks to medical intervention, it was possible to delay the birth of the baby until exactly the 21st week, which allowed doctors to start resuscitation measures.
Nash’s story became an example of the rapid development of neonatal medicine. The boy joined a growing number of profoundly premature babies who are surviving thanks to high-tech care and life-saving treatment.
It will be recalled that the previous achievement belonged to a baby who was born in 2020 in the state of Alabama, one day later than Nash.
