SKILFUL SURGERY SAVES BABY
| DELICATE GPERATION ON MONTH-OLD GIRiL. , v ■ 1 ' You may have heard about blue habies and how the- miracles of surgery can save these infants. But did you know that surgery can- save yellow-green babies, to.o? To-day, one-year-old Karen Whitgrove is a superbly healthy baby. S-he has rosy cheeks, her chubby body with its golden hue is a natural tribute to Californian sunshine, and she is alert to a degree unusual for her age. A year ago, the new-born daughter of Captain and .Mrs. R. F. Whitgrove was listless, jaundiced and had a life expectancy of less than one year. Her skin was a ghastly yello.w-green colour. She would be dying a slow and painful death now, were it not for the diagnoidtic and surgical iskill of \a University of California doctor who performed a rare operation of miniature surgery on little Karen when she Iwas only 35 days old. . The victim of a cruel trick of nature, Karne was born with an impaired bile duct. This duct, or tube, normally carries bile secretions from the liver to the intestines. In Karen's case it" was blocked off and, furthermore, reaciied only half-way to the intestines. Because of this condition, the baby's . system became poisoned and she was unable to retain no.urishment. She turned a jaundiced hue. A delicate and highly dangerous operation, known as a choledochoduodenostomy, was necessary to save her from certain death — but surgery, doctors told the Whitgroves, is possible in only 25 per cent. of such cases. Examination proved that in this one phase, Karen was fortunate. The duct was barely long enough to enable the doctor to attempt a connection between the detached areas. Time was important, since her condition became steadily more serious each day. After two weeks of special feeding, the university doctor- decided to operate. Two hours later, he laid down the last instrument and pronounced the opei'ation a success. Karen, at the age of 35 days, faced a future as normal as that of any other infant. , Six months later, Mrs. Whitgrove reported: "She's just fine. W'e haven't had any trouble .with her health at all since the operation. There's been such a dramatic change. It all seems like a miracle and we're all so grateful."
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Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5327, 13 February 1947, Page 7
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377SKILFUL SURGERY SAVES BABY Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5327, 13 February 1947, Page 7
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