Hyderabad: How doctors at Birthright by Rainbow Hospitals saved a pregnant lady with a rare placenta and her baby

Hyderabad: A team of experts at Birthright by Rainbow Hospitals performed a complex procedure on a woman with a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication, marking a significant advancement in high-risk obstetric care.

The 26-year-old patient, diagnosed with placenta percreta, a condition where the placenta grows through the uterine wall and invades nearby organs. Such high-risk obstetric surgery is not only surgically challenging but also requires meticulous planning.

"The ultrasound and MRI scans revealed that the placenta had grown beyond the uterus and was firmly attached to the bladder," explained Dr. Himabindu, Consultant Obstetrician, Gynecologist and Laparoscopic Surgeon at Birthright. "The placenta was very vascular and had large blood-filled lacunae, typically associated with life-threatening hemorrhage”, she said.

The novel approach of the medical team made the process significant, as interventional radiology techniques are rarely employed in obstetrics. Before surgery, interventional radiologists inserted balloon catheters into the internal iliac arteries supplying blood to the uterus. After delivering the baby through an incision away from the placenta, these balloons were inflated to temporarily block blood flow.

This strategic intervention resulted in minimal blood loss of around 500 ml, comparable to a routine C-section, and eliminated the need for blood transfusions, an exceptional outcome in placenta percreta cases where massive hemorrhage is generally expected. The procedure was completed within 6 hours.

"Every possible scenario was anticipated, from blood product requirements to emergency transport protocols and NICU care," Dr. Himabindu noted. The patient, who had been diagnosed during a routine scan at 30-32 weeks of pregnancy, was scheduled for delivery at 35 weeks to avoid emergency complications.