UAE doctors save pregnant Emirati's life in rare surgery

Doctors in UAE saved a pregnant Emirati woman's life after performing surgery for a rare condition.

University Hospital Sharjah (UHS) announced that Alya (name changed for confidential reasons), a 36-year-old Emirati mother, has fully recovered from an incredibly rare pregnancy condition known as placenta percreta, according to a statement issued on Saturday.

This is when the placenta penetrates through the entire uterine wall and attaches to another organ such as the bladder, accounting for approximately 1 in 50,000 pregnancies.

Alya, who was 32 weeks pregnant, received various scans where she was initially diagnosed with placenta accrete, the most mild form of the condition where  the placenta attaches deep in the uterine wall but it does not penetrate the uterine muscle. She was warned that the procedure could be life-threatening and she would most certainly lose her uterus.

"Most of the time, we have to sacrifice the uterus because this procedure leads to severe internal bleeding," explained Dr Kauser Mansoor Baig, UHS's Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist.

"A caesarean delivery increases the possibility of a future placenta accreta, and this patient had four previous caesareans."

Multiple caesareans are present in over 60 per cent of placenta accreta cases.

An ultrasound revealed the seriousness of the situation: the placenta had invaded the bladder, which put this organ at risk as well.

"In 95 per cent of these cases, the patient loses their uterus. Alya also had the added risk of losing her bladder. When she came to me, I counseled her that this was a possibility that she should be mindful of," added Dr Baig.

UHS's team of surgeons, anaesthesiologists, pediatricians and the ICU prepared for every eventuality. They arranged blood transfusions that were cross-matched (compatible with Alya's blood). They anticipated severe bleeding which can be life-threatening and she eventually lost about seven litres of blood.

This was quickly replaced as the team provided her with six units of blood in the surgical theater. In addition, she later received three units of blood in the ICU.

"When we performed the two-hour surgery, the bladder dissection was successful and the placenta was removed.  We also made a new wall for the uterus, and thankfully, saved both of her organs," Dr Kauser Mansoor Baig added.

Alya was in recovery in the ICU for two days and spent the third day in the ward. She went home on the fourth day, which was just in time to celebrate the birth of her fifth baby and the remarkable success of her surgery.

Source: Khaleej Times