Miracle at Vani Vilas Hospital: Pregnant Woman Awakens from Vegetative State After 79 Days

Seventy-nine days after being brought into Vani Vilas Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, onto a gurney and diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage that had rendered her vegetative while eight months pregnant with her second child, 31-year-old Tumakuru, Karnataka resident Chitra (not her real name) said, "I always knew I couldn't orphan my two children."

As soon as her nurses asked Chitra what she enjoyed most, she answered with a smile, saying, "I like eating biryani and kebabs." Her restored joie de vivre would not be diminished by the fact that her tracheostomy was still healing.

Chitra's recovery is nothing short of a miracle, according to the medical staff at Vani Vilas. She spent two months in a vegetative condition after being taken unconscious to the hospital on June 5 at the suggestion of a private hospital in Tuamkuru. After sixty days in the hospital, she was able to speak again.

"Hers was an extremely complicated case, which made her recovery so rare," said Dr Ashok Kumar Devoor, associate professor and head of unit, obstetrics and gynaecology, Vani Vilas Hospital.

"Within two hours of her admission, we began the C-section and delivered a baby boy, weighing 1.5kg. She didn't respond to painful stimuli, which was a sign of intracerebral bleed (brain haemorrhage). Tests confirmed it. Hypertensive disease of pregnancy is a leading cause of maternal death. The least is impaired mobility and cognition," stated by a doctor of the medical team.

Dr Devoor recounted the treatment Chitra was given: "Two days into her admission, we guessed something was wrong, and an MRI revealed a massive bleed. The midline of the brain had significantly moved to one side. We coordinated with the neurology department on campus and started her on conservative therapy without surgery."

"Whether or not to do the surgery - a craniotomy - was a dilemma, considering her BP wasn't stable and she continued to be unconscious. We did a series of MRIs in the days that followed and saw that the bleed didn't progress. She was intubated till then, and to avoid infection, we moved to tracheostomy (opening in the neck to facilitate breathing through a pipe) as we understood the breathing support would have to last for a prolonged period. By day 20, we had some hope when she moved her eyes and fingers," he stated.

The nurses intensified their efforts once the movements started, taking turns with Chitra's family members to provide her with physiotherapy every hour to enhance the tone of her dormant muscles because she was in a vegetative condition. Every day, they also performed transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

At Vani Vilas, Chitra is receiving complimentary medical care. Doctors estimated that the course of treatment would have cost about Rs 60 lakh in a private setting.

Medical Superintendent Dr. Savitha C. of the hospital stated that hospital expenses are reimbursed for a maximum of seven days under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram scheme. "In this case, the treatment and ICU stay exceeded it. We tapped the medical education, health and family welfare, and national health mission budget, besides making an AB-ArK claim to ensure her treatment continued."

Merely wished to support her children

By day fifty, the drug had halted the bleeding and the brain had returned to normal. When talking about various milestones, such as eye and finger movements, Chitra said, “In my dream, I was teaching my daughter. I knew I had to come back for her. She wants to be a cop; she can be whatever she wants, but I want to be there for her.

I don’t want my daughter to see me like this (with a tape on neck still) and will remain here till I’m completely healed,” she stated, determined to prevent trauma for her daughter. Born at Vani Vilas, her younger child is healthy and happy back in Tumakuru.

Reference- D’souza, Pearl. “Bengaluru: Vani Vilas hospital rescues new mother from jaws of death.” The Times of India, August 26, 2024. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/bengaluru-vani-vilas-hospital-rescues-new-mother-from-jaws-of-death/articleshow/112791920.cms.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey)