Townsville University Hospital’s mercy dash saves preterm baby as cyclone lashes Darwin

You don’t get much further from Townsville than an island outstation in the Arafura Sea, off the north coast of Arnhem Land, but when Rubyanne Djindata went into premature labour on 22 November, Tropical Cyclone Fina was bearing down on Darwin, ruling out a transfer to the nearest major hospital.

That’s when the Advanced Neonatal Transport Service North Queensland (ANTS-NQ) and Townsville University Hospital’s neonatal team swooped in to help.

On-call staff specialist neonatologist Professor Yoga Kandasamy was the first doctor to receive the call about Ms Djindata.

“I had a call via RSQ from Dr Mathew Wong from Royal Darwin Hospital who told me there was a woman in preterm labour in Gove,” he said.

“Normally there would be a transfer to Darwin or Adelaide but the flight time to Townsville was shorter and Dr Wong had worked in Townsville and knew our neonatal unit well,” he said.

“I was happy to arrange the retrieval.

“Long-distance retrievals from remote and rural locations can be very unpredictable so it was important to send a highly experienced team.”

When Ms Djindata started experiencing the early signs of labour, she and her partner Shane Smiler, who live on Bodiya Outstation on Milingimbi Island, the largest of the Crocodile Islands group off the coast of Arnhem Land, went straight to the local clinic.

“I knew going into labour at 30 weeks was early so we drove straight to the clinic at Milingimbi and waited there for the plane from Gove,” Ms Djindata said.

“After landing in Gove, we waited a few more hours for the plane to bring us to Townsville.”

Ms Djindata’s partner Shane Smiler said the experience was ‘a bit scary’.

“I’m not much of a flyer,” he said.

Baby Leilani was born the next day weighing 2.5 kg.

Clinical nurse Sabina King, who was part of the LifeFlight retrieval crew who brought the family to TUH, said the team was ‘relieved and delighted’ when the baby was born safe and well.

“When we arrived in Gove, we were expecting to see a baby but Rubyanne hadn’t progressed as much as we had anticipated,” she said.

“But we knew there was a chance she could deliver in the air.

“We are so thrilled to have Leilani in our neonatal unit.”

Also on the flight was NT rural generalist Dr Jean Norris.

“I met the couple on the tarmac at Gove; it had been decided that a doctor needed to be on the flight if Rubyanne delivered on the plane,” she said.

“I jumped at the opportunity because it’s not every day that you get flown to the east coast in a jet with 20 minutes’ notice.

“The last time I was in Townsville I was 19 and on a road trip; I didn’t think my next visit would be in these circumstances.

“It was a privilege to be involved in such a successful evacuation and I was even more honoured to be able to meet baby Leilani when she was born.

“That’s the kind of continuity of care we try to provide in remote obstetrics.”

ANTS-NQ clinical lead and neonatologist Dr Kirsty Devine said she was ‘immensely proud’ of the retrieval service.

“ANTS retrieves babies from across Queensland but cross-border retrievals are rare for us; I had to look Gove up on the map,” she said.

“We were delighted to be able to help the family, Dr Wong, and Royal Darwin Hospital in their time of need.

“We know what cyclones can do and this is why we have a retrieval service that can provide a drop-of-a-hat evacuation when it’s needed.”

Royal Darwin Hospital neonatologist Dr Mathew Wong said cases of preterm labour in remote and regional areas were among the most complex retrieval cases the hospital encountered.

“I did four years of medical training in Townsville, including working in the neonatology unit, so reaching out to them was like phoning old friends,” he said.

“The neonatal teams in Darwin and Townsville share similarities in providing care to large geographical areas in the tropics and both our homes are prone to cyclones.

“I’m incredibly thankful to Townsville for the care and assistance provided to this family and to everyone who was involved,” he said.

The family has now transferred back to the NT and baby Leilani will be in the care of Royal Darwin neonatal unit and Dr Wong until she goes home in the next couple of weeks.