Woman unconscious for 7 months delivers baby girl

New Delhi, India - A 23-year

old woman lying unconscious for 7 months in AIIMS trauma

centre after sustaining multiple head surgeries in a road acci

dent, delivered a healthy baby girl last week.

Neurosurgeon Dr Deepak Gupta said: “A 23-year-old young woman came to AIIMS trauma centre on April 1, 2022 at 4.30am after sustaining a severe head injury the previous

night when she was traveling with her husband on a 2

wheeler (in Bulandshahar, UP).

Both husband and wife were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident. The husband did not sustain any head injury while the wife sustained a very severe head injury.”

“She was initially treated at Abdullah Hospital, Bulandshar and later referred to AIIMS trauma centre. She was mar

ried 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 (decompressive

craniectomy where part of her skull bone was removed to decrease pressure inside her swollen damaged brain). She underwent a total of five neurosurgical operations in the last seven months during hospitalisation,” he added.

The woman is still unconscious and breathing on her

own and is not on any ventilatory support. “She 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.

“A lot of discussions were held in her first and second trimesters of pregnancy on whether we should terminate her pregnancy or continue the pregnancy as the mother was still unconscious. As no congenital anomalies were noted in the foetus the medical team suggested the option to continue the pregnancy The family decided to continue the preg

nancy subsequently,” said Dr Gupta.

“She gave birth to a healthy girl child weighing 2.5 kg at AIIMS trauma center on October 22 by normal route (not

caesarean).”