Maternal brain death and prolonged fetal survival.
A 30-year-old woman suffered massive brain injuries after a motor vehicle accident at 15 weeks' gestation. The patient was diagnosed as brain-dead on her tenth hospital day. She was supported with intensive care for 107 days after this diagnosis, and a normal 1555-g male infant was delivered at approximately 32 weeks' gestation by repeat cesarean section. The child is developing normally at 11 months of age. This represents the longest reported case of prolongation of pregnancy after brain death.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Center Hospital, Vermont, Burlington.
I M
IM
Bernstein
M
M
Watson
G M
GM
Simmons
P M
PM
Catalano
G
G
Davis
R
R
Collins
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001926:Brain Death; D002585:Cesarean Section; D003422:Critical Care; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D012086:Reoperation; D013997:Time Factors