Life support for 10 weeks with successful fetal outcome after fatal maternal brain damage.
A 31 year old woman in whom subarachnoid and intracerebral haemorrhage occurred during the second trimester of pregnancy was sustained in intensive care with a respirator for 10 weeks. Computed tomography of the brain showed bilateral intraventricular haemorrhages. Because of drug resistant hypotonic episodes at 31 weeks' gestation caesarean section was performed, and a boy was delivered. The woman died of spontaneous cardiac arrest two days after caesarean section, and the boy showed normal development. Life support can be continued for several weeks in a modern intensive care unit after fatal insult to the brain even in a pregnant woman without affecting the fetus.
D000328:Adult; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000628:therapy*; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008020:Life Support Care; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000628:therapy*; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000628:therapy