Kochi, 20th September 2024: The 31-year-old pregnant woman was facing the dilemma of her baby developing complications of anemia due to blood group incompatibility or facing complications of prematurity if delivered early. But the medical team Aster Medcity carried out a life-saving procedure for the unborn child . The procedure, known as Intrauterine Fetal Blood Transfusion (IUT), was performed to treat severe anaemia in a 32-week fetus, caused by Rh incompatibility between the mother and the father.
The mother, who is Rh-negative, was carrying a Rh-positive fetus, a scenario that can lead to severe complications if the mother is already immunised by prior pregnancy. The fetus was at risk of developing life-threatening conditions such as hydrops fetalis( accumulation of fluid causing extensive swelling) and heart failure. So both the mother and fetus were being monitored closely using blood investigations and ultrasound examinations.
When the fetus started showing Doppler changes, the medical team at Aster Medcity decided to perform an Intrauterine Fetal Blood Transfusion, a delicate outpatient procedure where O-negative blood was transfused directly into the fetus’s umbilical vein through the mother’s abdomen, all under the guidance of ultrasound. This approach was critical, as delivering the baby at that time could have resulted in lifelong complications due to extreme prematurity.
Over the course of three weeks, we monitored the fetus’s condition closely, allowing the baby to continue developing in the womb. Finally, the baby was safely delivered with minimal issues related to prematurity. This shows the importance of pre-natal scanning ” said Dr. Sindhu Pudhukudi-Consultant – Fetal Medicine, Aster Medcity -Kochi.
Intrauterine Fetal Blood Transfusion is a highly specialized procedure used to treat severe fetal anemia, often caused by Rh incompatibility. When a Rh-negative mother has previously been sensitized by delivering an Rh-positive baby, her immune system can produce antibodies that attack the red blood cells of a future Rh-positive fetus, leading to anemia. The procedure involves carefully transfusing compatible O-negative blood directly into the fetus, thereby stabilizing the baby and preventing severe complications.