AHMEDABAD: The impact of Covid-19 on internal organs is well-documented now, but a high-risk pregnancy in the city highlighted the danger of the viral infection for expecting mothers – a 25-year-old woman underwent uterus removal by a team of doctors to save her life. While she delivered a healthy child, due to high viral load and low platelet count, her uterus was not contracting.
Dr Bindu Raval, an ob-gyn with a city-based private hospital who has handled six-odd pregnancies and deliveries of Covid-19 positive women, said that it was an unusual case for the team. “Her viral load was high, D-dimer mark was high and platelet count was low. We performed a C-section and delivered a child. After two hours of the surgery, she started bleeding profusely with her pulse getting feeble and blood pressure going down. As medication failed in ICU, she was immediately taken back to the operation theatre,” she said.
With the team including intensivist Dr Jignesh Prajapati, she performed intrauterine ligation, but it also failed as the uterus was not contracting. “It was a tough decision for us, but we performed subtotal hysterectomy or removal of uterus to save her life. The entire team was behind her despite extended hours as it was dangerous to get other team members for help due to the patient’s Covid status,” she said.
The procedure saved her, but her condition didn’t improve – she needed to be put on ventilator for the next seven days. “The thought of a newborn child losing the mother was scary enough for us. But she persisted and gradually improved. It was a precious moment for us when the mother and child could finally unite,” said Dr Mehul Raval, anaesthetist and medical director of the hospital.