Mangaluru: A 33-week pregnant woman from Uttara Kannada, referred to Govt Lady Goschen Hospital in the city after a private hospital in Udupi district considered her case extremely high-risk, was saved following a four-hour complex surgery involving specialists from multiple disciplines.The woman was admitted with antepartum haemorrhage, or bleeding before delivery. An ultrasound showed that the placenta was blocking the baby’s exit and indicated placenta accreta or placenta percreta, conditions in which the placenta attaches abnormally to the uterus and can invade its muscular wall or nearby organs.Dr Durgaprasad MR, medical superintendent of Lady Goschen Hospital, said the woman had placenta percreta with severe damage to the urinary bladder. As the intestines could also have been affected, urologists and general surgeons were brought into the operating theatre in advance.Such cases require hysterectomy and can result in blood loss of three to four litres, posing a major challenge to saving the patient’s life, he said.Dr Nikhil Shetty, professor in the Department of Obstetrics at Kasturba Medical College, was the chief obstetric surgeon, assisted by Dr Susham Shetty, Dr Gagandeep Kaur, Dr Prithvi Shenoy and Dr Tanvitha.During the surgery, KMC urologists Dr Pramod, Dr Meet and Dr Shivanand reconstructed the severely damaged urinary bladder, while anaesthesiologist Dr Shilpa monitored the patient’s vital signs.Paediatrician Dr Aarushi provided emergency care to the premature baby, who was subsequently shifted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
