A 23-year-old woman who was unconscious for 7 months at AIIMS trauma centre in Delhi, after sustaining multiple head surgeries in a road accident, delivered a healthy baby girl recently.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Deepak Gupta stated, “A 23-year-old young woman came to AIIMS trauma centre on April 1, 2022 at 4.30 am after sustaining a severe head injury the previous night when she was traveling with her husband on a 2-wheeler (in Bulandshahr, UP). Both husband and wife were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident.”
“She was initially treated at Abdullah Hospital, Bulandshahr and later referred to AIIMS trauma centre. She was married six weeks back and was 40 days pregnant at the time of the accident. She was unconscious on arrival and had evidence of severe brain injury with acute subdural hematoma inside her brain. She was immediately put on ventilator support and taken up for emergency surgery. She underwent a total of 5 neurosurgical operations in the last 7 months during hospitalization,” he added.
“Presently, she is still unconscious, breathing on her own, not on any ventilatory support, and opens her eyes spontaneously, and occasionally nods to painful stimuli. She stands a 10-15 per cent chance of regaining consciousness in the next couple of years with continued rehabilitation support,” said Dr Gupta.
As the woman was pregnant at the time of admission after a lot of discussions, the family decided to continue the pregnancy.
“As no congenital anomalies were noted in the fetus with serial level two ultrasound examinations, the medical team suggested the option to continue the pregnancy to the family,” said Dr. Gupta.
“She was brought to AIIMS by her family when they noticed some activity suggestive of impending labor pains in her. She gave birth to a healthy girl child weighing 2.5 kg at AIIMS trauma center,” he added.