Baby girl of Singaporean mother who had fetal heart catheterization in Vietnam was born healthy

The baby girl of a Singaporean mother who underwent fetal heart catheterization in Vietnam in May was born healthy, without medical assistance.

On November 6, at the International Conference on detecting cardiovascular and nervous system abnormalities before 13 weeks of pregnancy organized by Tu Du Hospital, a representative of Tu Du Hospital said that the Singaporean pregnant woman who went to Vietnam for fetal heart intervention in May 2025 has now given birth to a healthy baby in her home country.

The baby girl was born in Singapore on July 19, weighing 3.7 kg, with a rosy complexion, breathing on her own, without respiratory support, breastfeeding well and developing normally, without medical support. Thanks to timely intervention while still in the womb, the baby's heart structure and function have improved significantly.

Previously, on May 5, pregnant woman KWS (41 years old, Singaporean) became pregnant for the first time after more than 10 years of infertility, thanks to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and went to Tu Du Hospital to find hope for her child's life after discovering that the fetus had a severe congenital heart defect.

Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan - Deputy Minister of Health congratulated the hospital and the patient's family after the successful cardiac intervention. Photo: Pham Thuong.

It is known that in the 18th week of pregnancy, doctors in Singapore discovered that the fetus had cardiovascular abnormalities, with severe mitral valve regurgitation and ventricular septal defect. The situation became more serious when in the 21st week, fetal echocardiography showed severe aortic valve stenosis, thickened mitral valve, severe mitral valve regurgitation and left ventricular hypoplasia and advised to "terminate the pregnancy" because the fetus's congenital heart disease was too severe, with no chance of survival.

When the pregnant woman arrived at Tu Du Hospital, the fetus was only 25 weeks old. After consultation and assessment by experts from Tu Du Hospital, Children's Hospital 1 and international experts, if no intervention was made, the fetus would definitely not survive, but if intervention failed, the fetus could die in the uterus.

Finally, the experts decided to perform an intrauterine aortic valve dilation intervention on May 22. After 2 hours of intervention, the team of experts could not reach the left heart chamber due to the fixed prone position of the fetus, so they decided to temporarily stop the intervention and plan to perform it a second time when conditions were more favorable.

Pregnant Singaporean woman successfully underwent transfetal catheterization at Tu Du Hospital. Photo: BVCC.

At 10am on May 28, the second intervention took place. With quick and precise manipulation, the intervention team used a specialized needle to penetrate the mother's abdominal wall, through the uterine muscle layer - placenta, through the fetal chest wall, and directly into the left ventricle, into the narrow space as small as a pencil tip. The fetal heart rate began to slow down, and the team had no time to hesitate.

Almost simultaneously, the cardiologist quickly coordinated the insertion of the guidewire, placing the balloon in the correct position of the aortic valve, and pumping, dilating, and withdrawing. All of this happened within a few seconds under the intense concentration of the entire team. Vasopressors for the fetus were used immediately afterward. The fetal heart rate increased again to 141 beats/minute, and on the doppler, blood flow spurted strongly through the aortic valve. The entire team burst into tears, the entire intervention was successfully completed.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/be-gai-cua-san-phu-singapore-duoc-thong-tim-bao-thai-tai-viet-nam-chao-doi-khoe-manh-169251106113839617.htm