Hybrid surgery saves pregnant woman with placenta previa
While conventionally, an immediate uterus removal would be the next step to save the mother and baby, it would have been impossible for the woman to become pregnant again.
Representative image
CHENNAI: In a life-saving procedure, a 37-year-old pregnant woman with a severe condition of the abnormal implant of the placenta was saved through a hybrid procedure at a private hospital in the city.
Gynaecology-Obstetrics and Interventional Radiology team at MIOT hospital handled the case of Grade 4 placenta previa, a condition where the placenta is implanted very low in the uterus, completely covering the cervix making normal delivery impossible.
The patient was diagnosed during the 28th week of pregnancy. This can lead to damage to uterus and surrounding organs, loss of fertility due to hysterectomy, excessive bleeding and blood clotting. The baby can also have complications such as intra-uterine foetal death (when the baby’s head may impact the low-lying placenta and produce bleeding) or pre-term birth, respiratory problems and/or trouble gaining weight.
While conventionally, an immediate uterus removal would be the next step to save the mother and baby, it would have been impossible for the woman to become pregnant again.
As the patient’s bleeding episodes had persisted during the 35th week of pregnancy, doctors at MIOT devised a plan to first perform a pinhole procedure to stop blood-loss, followed by a Lower Segment Caesarean Section.
Doctors at the hospital said that an incision procedure was performed to deliver the baby while keeping the nourishment supply to the uterus via a catheter in the thighs. The balloons at the end of the catheter were inflated to prevent excessive blood loss and were restored post-surgery.
The baby was also successfully delivered with no complications.
