Saving a fetus with a heart rhythm defect in the womb

In March 2021, Ms. BTM went to the hospital for a check-up.Obstetrics and PediatricsNghe An when she was pregnant for the 5th time. Before that, she had given birth to healthy full-term babies 4 times. During this pregnancy, the patient came to the Center for Prenatal and Newborn Screening Diagnosis, HospitalObstetrics and PediatricsNghe An for the first time on March 9, 2021.

On June 3, 2021, the patient went into labor and gave birth to a healthy baby girl, weighing 2,600 grams. Photo: Hoang Yen

Immediately, the patient was advised to be admitted to the Obstetrics Department for close monitoring and treatment. Obstetrics doctors held an interdisciplinary consultation: Obstetrics, Center for Prenatal and Newborn Screening, and Cardiology to agree on a treatment plan for the patient.

The treatment plan for the child's tachycardia, while still in the mother's body, was agreed upon. The medication used for the patient was prescribed by a cardiologist, under close supervision of doctors and nurses of the Obstetrics Department, and the patient was consulted and had ultrasound to monitor the response to the medication after treatment at the Center for Prenatal and Newborn Screening.

During treatment, the fetal heart rate sometimes fluctuated between 90 and 120 times per minute. However, with close monitoring by measuring drug concentration in the blood, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram for the mother, and adjusting the appropriate drug dose, the fetal condition gradually stabilized.

After 2 weeks of treatment, the fetal heart rate returned to its baseline rate of 140-160 beats/minute, and the pericardial effusion showed signs of improvement. After 4 weeks of close monitoring, the fetal heart rate stabilized, the pericardial effusion was gone, the fetus grew well, and reached an average weight for its gestational age.

In April 2021, the patient was discharged from the hospital and continued to receive outpatient treatment, examination, and pregnancy monitoring at the Center for Prenatal and Newborn Screening and Diagnosis continuously from 31 weeks. On May 31, 2021, the patient was hospitalized to give birth when the pregnancy reached 39 weeks.

On June 3, 2021, the patient gave birth to a healthy baby girl, weighing 2,600 grams. After birth, the baby was examined by neonatologists, and the ultrasound results of the baby's heart after birth did not detect any abnormalities. The baby and mother were soon discharged home to the joy and happiness of the whole family and the doctors and nurses.

Currently, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital has been effectively promoting interdisciplinary consultations between Obstetrics and Gynecology and Neonatal Pediatrics to detect early and promptly treat fetal heart rhythm disorders in the fetus, to avoid possible bad complications for pregnancy (multiple membrane effusion, fetal edema, stillbirth).

The fetal heart rate is one of the important signs that tells the mother about the health of the fetus. Through the heart rate, the mother will know whether the baby is healthy and developing normally or not. Listening to the baby's heart rate helps the mother feel the existence of the little creature. The gentle heartbeat in the belly is also a wonderful sound, arousing the sacred mother-child love.

The fetal heart rate always changes erratically depending on the time and development of the baby in the womb. The average fetal heart rate fluctuates between 120-160 times/minute. If the baby's heart rate is more than 180 times/minute (too fast), pregnant mothers should go to a hospital with a specialized department in Obstetrics and Pediatrics for immediate examination and treatment. Because this can be a warning sign about the health of the mother or fetus.