Three women in Palermo give birth at Ismett thanks to a heart-lung machine
Three children named Ariel, Giuseppe, and Giorgia were born at Ismett-Upmc in Palermo from three women who have given birth in the last three weeks thanks to the collaboration with the gynecologists of Arnas Civico and the need for the use of a heart-lung machine. The patients were already being treated for pre-existing conditions by the Ismett cardiology team – and in one case by the Pneumology team. They were suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (aortic dysfunction and heart diseases associated with pulmonary hypertension) which represented a risk for both the mother and the unborn child for different reasons.
Due to their health conditions, the three women would not have been able to carry out their pregnancy without the collaboration established between Ismett and the gynecology and neonatology departments of Arnas Civico. The birth – a scheduled cesarean section – took place at Ismett and all three patients gave birth while on stand-by ECMO, using veno-arterial assistance, a heart-lung machine that oxygenates the blood, removes carbon dioxide, and acts as a cardiac pump in place of the heart. The complex procedure involved six teams of specialists: anesthesiologists, cardiology teams, cardiothoracic surgeons, pneumologists from Ismett, obstetricians, and neonatologists from Arnas Civico.
“These were three very special cases – explains Maria Scarlata, anesthesiologist at Ismett who personally followed the three births – They were very difficult pregnancies. The use of ECMO, the so-called heart-lung machine, allowed our patients to give birth in total safety.” Both mothers and children are doing well and were transferred to the Gynecology department of Civico 24 hours after delivery.
“The clinical collaboration with Ismett – emphasizes Antonio Maiorana, head of the Gynecology department at Civico – has allowed women with clinically very complex pathologies to fulfill their dream of becoming mothers”.
Palermo, tre donne partoriscono all’Ismett grazie a una macchina cuore-polmone
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