Vietnamese doctors break with convention to save fetus

Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in June received a case in which a 24-week pregnant woman had her amniotic fluid dry up internally.

A resident in Phu Tho Province that neighbors Hanoi, she was first admitted to Phu Tho General Hospital before transferral to the Hanoi hospital after four days.

Doctors in Hanoi ascribed the 21-year-old's predicament to a broken uterus, which caused the fluid to leak into her abdomen.

The fetus had developed normally and weighed around 600 grams at the time his mother was hospitalized.

Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital decided to inject the amniotic fluid directly into the amniotic sac to save the baby after obtaining permission from the patient and her family.

During the five-week process, though the fluid kept leaking into her abdomen, both the mother and baby remained in stable health.

A caesarean section was subsequently performed during the 31st week of pregnancy this month, with the 1.5 kilo baby delivered successfully.

Doctor Nguyen Duy Anh, director of the hospital, said "this is an extremely rare case, which had never been recorded in medical history."

The baby is expected to be discharged within next week.