Intrauterine blood transfusion: New KGMU facility holds hope for at-risk foetuses
The need for transfusion can be because of a negative blood group of the mother or due to infections which cause destruction or ineffective production of blood cells
A new ray of hope has emerged for unborn babies suffering from foetal anaemia as the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, King George’s Medical University (KGMU), began intrauterine foetal transfusion (IUT) facility, a release from the medical university read on Wednesday.
“Unborn babies in the mother’s womb often suffer from anaemia due to various problems which might sometimes require giving them blood in order to save their life. This requires a highly skilled procedure called IUT. This facility is available only at a few selected institutes of the country, where, with the help of ultrasound and a specialised needle and instruments, blood is transfused to the foetus,” a press statement from the KGMU read on Wednesday.
The need for transfusion can be because of a negative blood group of the mother which sometimes develops antibodies against the baby’s blood cells or due to infections which cause destruction or ineffective production of blood cells. These conditions if not dealt soon lead to life-threatening anaemia in the baby, causing either death in the womb or severe jaundice and turbulent neonatal course.
The procedure was employed in a 32-year-old pregnant woman, referred from Kanpur to KGMU at 7 months of pregnancy. She had a negative blood group with antibodies detected in blood against a positive blood group.
The unborn baby was struggling for life because of significant anaemia. IUT was done twice at Queen Mary’s hospital. The procedure, although full of challenges, went successfully each time and finally the woman delivered a healthy newborn weighing 3014 grams, read the press statement.
There was significant support from the blood bank of the university headed by Dr Tulika Chandra.