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Monday, August 27, 2012

To resuscitate or not




Reading an excerpt of Fragile beginnings, I learnt something of umbilical arteries that arent normally used are needed for monitoring premature babies. The ending of the excerpt has antonyms coexisting.

The article itself has some history on how the research on saving premature babies evolved. All those mothers who cant wait for their baby to emerge, be patient.

Fast forward to the time where I have my hands on the book.

The author provides us with the background of a research scientist who found his passion for helping babies. A brother of a suffering patient is motivated to find the cure for his sibling. Showing these personal connections as the need to push the curing science forward, the author explains the technical aspects of Cerebral hemorrhage. Being an ob intern himself at the time of premature birth of his third baby, he delves more into the literature and asks for his rights to take his baby home. Talking of rights, there is a clear history of Baby Doe Law which was tightened and then released a bit. The courts insistence on life despite not-on-par future normal life. 
The author refers to many studies about life going forward for those suffering with ICH. To resuscitate or not seems to be hanging in the balance in a Neonatal intensive care unit. As if the inherent odds is not enough, studies use lottery analogy to understand the choices of parents.
Neuroplasticity and brain plasticity studies.
With Constraint induced movement therapy, the author's daughter ends up learning to use her right hand whose movement was restricted due to the ICH in her brain. The premature baby goes beyond her diagnosis and bikes.
CIMT was introduced by Dr. Taub, who worked at University of Alabama, Birmingham. All the experts in medicine are all in the backyard of the author converging the research experiments and the improvements with their applications into a closer area.

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