BENGALURU: Next time you follow tradition and apply oil or turmeric to the umbilical cord of your newborn, think twice. Doctors at a city-based private hospital have given a fresh lease of life to an 8-day-old infant boy who suffered a rare life-threatening neonatal liver abscess, or hepatic abscess of about 1.7cm. It was caused due to application of turmeric and coconut oil to the umbilical cord area on the fifth and sixth day, as part of family tradition.
The infection had descended via the umbilical cord and portal veins and spread via the biliary tree. The infant was rushed to hospital with complaints of yellowish discoloration of skin and eyes, and admitted to the NICU for treatment of jaundice, as doctors recommended phototherapy. After two hours of admission, he showed symptoms of respiratory distress and had to be administered oxygen. His chest X-ray revealed bilateral pneumonitis, for which they started treating him with antibiotics.
Doctors also noticed continuous discharge of pus from the child’s umbilical cord. To their shock, an ultrasound of the abdomen revealed a liver abscess or hepatic abscess. It was surprising as the baby was born healthy, with a birthweight of 2.3kg at 38+2 weeks of gestation, Dr Leenatha Reddy N and Dr S Indu Nair, consultants, paediatrics and neonatology, at Kinder Women’s Hospital and Fertility Centre, said.
Dr Reddy explained, “Neonatal liver abscess is rarely seen. Caring for the umbilical cord is crucial in newborns. After birth, the cord is clamped near the belly button, and usually falls off after about 10 days. Parents must follow instructions given by the bath section experts in hospital, and avoid applying oil, turmeric, cowdung or even coal, in keeping with tradition.” Parents must clean the umbilical cord with a normal sponge bath and pat dry with a cotton cloth and always keep the area dry.