India gets its first open fetal surgery centre in Kochi

Also the first in Asia, Kochi-based Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre has recently unveiled the first open fetal surgery centre in India

The first of its kind in Asia to treat complex and rare fetal conditions, Kochi-based Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre has unveiled a centre for open fetal surgery. Open fetal surgery is a very rare procedure, practiced in select nations like USA, France and Spain.

"Open Fetal Surgery entails taking a baby with birth defects out of mother's womb, performing corrective surgery and placing the fetus back inside the womb. The pregnancy is then allowed to continue. Later a caesarean section is done and the baby is delivered," said Professor Mohan Abraham, Head of Pediatric and Fetal Surgery at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, as reported by ANI.

"This prevents complications to the baby from birth defect, even before delivery, thereby helping to obtain a normal baby," he added.

The Centre has already done EXIT procedure for a baby with a swelling in the neck. The baby's head was delivered from the womb, fluid from the swelling removed and a tube was put into the windpipe to enable breathing. In another case of a twin conception, one of the twins did not have a heart and the survival of the normal one was at risk as one heart had to pump for both the twins. Blood supply was interrupted to the fetus without heart to save the normal one.

Besides, the Centre routinely does intrauterine transfusions, chorionic villi sampling and amniocentesis.