Successful emergency treatment of a 37-week pregnant woman with acute appendicitis

A 37-week pregnant woman with acute appendicitis and signs of labor was successfully operated on by doctors at Hoan My Da Nang Hospital to perform a cesarean section and remove her appendix, ensuring the safety of both mother and baby.

According to information from Danang Hospital, pregnant woman NLT (30 years old, residing in Danang City) was admitted to the hospital on June 28 with dull pain in the epigastric region. At the time of examination, the pregnant woman was 37 weeks pregnant. Initial abdominal ultrasound and blood test results did not detect a specific cause of the abdominal pain.

Noticing the unusual developments, the doctors held an interdisciplinary consultation and ordered a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan - a safe diagnostic method for pregnant women - to determine the cause. The MRI results showed that the pregnant woman had acute appendicitis, with edema and infiltration of surrounding tissue.

Specialist II Doctor Nguyen Duc Dung, Department of Digestive Surgery, said: “In pregnant women, especially in the last 3 months, the appendix can be pushed out of its normal position due to the enlarged uterus. This makes diagnosis difficult and can easily be confused with digestive diseases. Therefore, it is very life-threatening.”

During the monitoring process, the fetal heart rate chart recorded signs of early labor with strong uterine contractions and 1cm cervical dilation. Faced with the risk of appendicitis that could rupture at any time, the doctors held an emergency consultation between the Obstetrics, Diagnostic Imaging and Gastroenterology departments, deciding to perform a cesarean section combined with an appendectomy in one surgery.

Master, resident physician Ho Thuyen - representative of the surgical team said: "This case is quite dangerous because the purulent appendix has formed a pseudomembrane, located in a difficult-to-reach location. Fortunately, it was discovered in time, the appendix has not ruptured. If it ruptures, pus will spill into the abdominal cavity, increasing the risk of severe infection, threatening the lives of both mother and baby."

The surgery involved two teams of obstetricians and surgeons working together. After 45 minutes, the surgery went smoothly. The baby boy was born weighing 2.7kg, rosy-cheeked, and cried well. The purulent appendix was promptly removed, with no post-operative complications. Currently, the health of both mother and baby is stable, and they are expected to be discharged after 3 days of monitoring.

According to experts, appendicitis during pregnancy is a rare surgical disease, with a rate of about 1/2000 pregnancies. However, if not detected and treated promptly, the disease can cause serious complications such as ruptured appendix, peritonitis, appendiceal abscess...

Doctors recommend that pregnant women should never be subjective when experiencing signs of localized abdominal pain that lasts or does not subside after resting. Timely and complete examinations help detect potential abnormalities early, ensuring the safety of both mother and fetus./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cap-cuu-thanh-cong-san-phu-mang-thai-37-tuan-bi-viem-ruot-thua-cap-post1048099.vnp