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- Oxygen and Blood supply to the fetus would have ceased and led to stillbirth
- Would have risked mother’s life too
India
healthysoch
Hyderabad/Chandigarh, June 28, 2021:
The team of doctors at Apollo Cradle & Children’s Hospital, Kondapur; led by Dr. Prameela Shekhar, Sr. Consultant Obstetrics & Gynecology; saved the lives of a mother and her newborn by performing an emergency caesarean surgery. The young mother in an advanced stage of pregnancy developed a rare and life-threatening complication called umbilical cord prolapse, which was potentially fatal for both the mother and the fetus. Both the mother and baby have since recovered without any complications and have been discharged.
The 32-year-old Mrs. Manasa was into her eighth month of pregnancy and was preparing to visit the hospital for her routine prenatal check. She was however petrified by the sight of a suspended loop of cord between her legs and the amniotic fluid draining out swiftly. The worried family on consultation with her treating obstetrician, Dr Prameela Shekhar, was advised to shift her in a supine position to the hospital.
An ultrasound scan done at the hospital indicated presence of fetal heart beat and a loop of cord between the thighs. She was rushed to the operation theatre, an immediate Cesarean section was performed and within fifteen minutes a female baby weighing 2.45 kgs was delivered. Both the mother and baby are healthy with no other complications.
The umbilical cord prolapse, though a rare phenomenon is a medical emergency during pregnancy, necessitating urgent Cesarean surgery to save both the fetus and the mother. Umbilical cord prolapse manifests when the amniotic sac which holds the fetus, breaches, leading to the amniotic fluid spilling out of the sac and the umbilical cord coming out of the uterus.
The umbilical cord is the lifeline of the fetus supplying blood, oxygen and the nutrients for its growth. While hanging out of the uterus the cord is likely to get squeezed between the baby and the mother’s womb, thereby depriving the fetus of its supply of essentials including oxygen needed to survive. This can be fatal to the fetus leading to stillbirth and can be lethal to the mother as well. While performing the cesarean section the umbilical cord compression is relieved and the supply of essentials is maintained to the fetus to keep it alive. However, any delay in cesarean surgery could impact the fetus by way of serious consequences like damage to the brain and other organs and including death.
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HealthySoch
