178kg mother gives birth safely

(Dan Tri) - A 28-year-old pregnant woman (Phu Tho) was transferred to the Central Maternity Hospital at 37 weeks of pregnancy. The pregnant woman was obese, had preeclampsia, and diabetes, and faced many risks during childbirth.

On July 15, the Central Maternity Hospital announced that the hospital had successfully performed a cesarean section on a pregnant woman weighing 178kg and suffering from many medical conditions.

Previously, Ms. NTD (28 years old, from Phu Tho) was transferred from Vinh Phuc Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital to the Central Obstetrics Hospital with the diagnosis: 37-week pregnancy, obesity, preeclampsia, diabetes.

The mother weighed up to 178kg, with a series of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, preeclampsia, facing many risks during childbirth (Photo: Provided by the doctor).

Medical history revealed that Ms. D. had a metabolic disorder that led to uncontrolled weight gain. Before becoming pregnant, she weighed about 140kg and gained 38kg during pregnancy.

With a large weight, preeclampsia and diabetes, the mother cannot give birth naturally. Even with a cesarean section, the mother faces many risks in anesthesia, surgery and post-operative recovery.

On the afternoon of August 13, a cesarean section was performed for the pregnant woman, as delay could worsen the prognosis for both mother and fetus.

MSc.BSCKII Bach Minh Thu - Head of the Department of Surgery, Anesthesia and Resuscitation said: "Injecting epidural anesthesia for patients is very difficult, because the thick layer of fat causes loss of anatomical landmarks, the distance from the skin to the subarachnoid space is too large, the existing anesthetic needle is almost not long enough, so the risk of regional anesthesia failure is very high even with the support of ultrasound.

When using ultrasound to determine the anatomy, we recorded this distance of up to more than 11cm - exceeding the maximum length of the anesthetic needle by quite a bit."

Immediately, the team decided to switch to endotracheal anesthesia, even though anesthesia has many potential risks such as not being able to ventilate after the mother has been anesthetized and is no longer able to breathe on her own...

In particular, pregnant women with excessive weight have very poor oxygen storage capacity, and are at risk of rapid and severe hypoxemia.

3.4kg baby born safely (Photo: Provided by the hospital).

The anesthesia team conducted a careful pre-anesthesia examination, carefully assessed the patient's respiratory status, airway, and other related issues to be able to come up with an effective and safe anesthesia plan, and prepared all means and machinery for any arising situations.

Dr. Dang Quang Hung - Deputy Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - who directly performed the surgery, said that the surgery for the pregnant woman was very difficult because the abdominal wall was very thick, making it difficult to access the uterus and remove the fetus.

"Patients with high blood pressure and diabetes have a significantly increased risk of surgical site infection and post-operative complications. During surgery, the large abdominal fat mass and fetal compression increase the risk of cardiopulmonary complications," said Dr. Hung.

After nearly 1 hour of surgery, the baby boy weighing 3.4 kg was born safely. However, although the mother's hemodynamics were stable, she still had to continue to face many respiratory risks and was closely monitored in the post-operative room.

The doctor said that the patient had a large body weight and a high fat ratio, which limited the chest capacity, poor chest mobility, and the diaphragm was pushed up, making the patient's oxygen reserve very poor, and the risk of collapsed lungs and reduced ventilation after extubation was very high.

After close monitoring, the mother is now responding well and meeting the conditions and is transferred to the Emergency Resuscitation Department for further monitoring.

Doctors recommend that obese women or women with metabolic disorders should be examined and counseled before pregnancy, develop a plan to control weight, blood pressure and blood sugar, and have a reasonable diet and lifestyle.

During pregnancy, you need to have regular check-ups on schedule, follow nutrition and exercise instructions according to professional instructions, and talk to your doctor early if there are any unusual signs (edema, rapid weight gain, headache, visual disturbances, high blood pressure, etc.).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/san-phu-nang-178kg-sinh-con-an-toan-20250815141359133.htm