Doctors succesfully operate on 28-week-old fetus with heart disease while inside mother's belly

Doctors in Guangzhou Province, South China have successfully operated on a 28-week-old fetus with congenital heart disease - while in its mom’s belly.

The 39-year-old patient, whose surname is Xie, became pregnant for a second time six months ago. Twenty-one weeks later, she had an ultrasonic test which showed the fetus was suffering from arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. The chances of survival are very low if surgery is undertaken after birth.
Xie insisted she wanted to keep the baby. And on September 22, doctors in Guangzhou conducted interventional cardiology treatment, with the help of experts from Austria. The size of the fetus’ heart was as small as an almond so the slightest movement could have resulted in damage, said Zhuang Jian, the director of Guangdong General Hospital.

Xie left the hospital four days after the successful operation. This is the first time Chinese doctors have conducted an interventional cardiology operation on a fetus’ congenital heart disease.

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