AIIMS Gorakhpur performs first intrauterine blood transfusion

Gorakhpur: In a breakthrough in maternal and foetal healthcare, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Gorakhpur successfully carried out its first intrauterine blood transfusion, saving the life of an unborn baby, AIIMS Gorakhpur informed.

The patient, a woman from Kushinagar, was undergoing her fourth pregnancy after suffering repeated pregnancy losses due to Rh isoimmunisation, a condition in which maternal antibodies attack the foetus’s red blood cells.

With no living child, the pregnancy was considered extremely high risk. Doctors at the institute detected severe foetal anaemia during routine antenatal monitoring through Doppler ultrasound and indirect Coombs test assessments. The condition posed a serious threat of heart failure and intrauterine death to the foetus.

In a highly specialised procedure, doctors transfused compatible blood directly into the foetus through the umbilical cord under imaging guidance. The intervention was performed by Dr Preeti Bala Singh and a multidisciplinary team from the department of obstetrics and gynaecology.

The procedure was conducted under the guidance of executive director Major General Prof Vibha Dutta and the leadership of Shikha Seth. Doctors said such interventions earlier required referrals to centres outside the region, including Lucknow.