World’s first operation of foetus saves baby at 21 weeks

Surgeons in Spain successfully performed life-saving surgery on a baby as it was dying in its mother's womb, the Daily Mail reported.

Gonzalo Pardo Sanchez was suffering from congenital high airway obstruction syndrome (Chaos) - a rare condition which was preventing his lungs from expelling fluid through the trachea and causing his heart to fail.

The outcome seemed inevitable, until his mother's doctors stumbled across a potentially life-saving procedure that was yet to prove successful - until now.

Gonzalo survived the procedure and medics in Spain confirmed yesterday that the baby - now 10 months old - sustained no brain damage as a result of the operation.

It makes it the world's first successful operation to remove an obstruction of a larynx from a foetus.

Gonzalo survived the procedure and medics in Spain confirmed yesterday that the baby - now 10 months old - sustained no brain damage as a result of the operation.

It makes it the world's first successful operation to remove an obstruction of a larynx from a foetus.

Gonzalo survived the procedure and medics in Spain confirmed yesterday that the baby - now 10 months old - sustained no brain damage as a result of the operation.

It makes it the world's first successful operation to remove an obstruction of a larynx from a foetus.

After finding out about the technique the couple, from Cartagena, endured a 'difficult' and 'emotional' seven day wait before Ms
Sanchez went into surgery at the Fetal Medicine Centre Clinic Barcelona.


The team first manoeuvred the foetus into position inside the uterus - the most difficult part of the procedure - before three surgeons spent 22 minutes removing the membrane blocking Gonzalo's larynx.


Eduard Gratacos, head of the unit in Barcelona, explained surgeons were able to perforate the membrane 'quite easily', adding that getting access to the mother's uterus and in turn the baby's trachea was the part loaded with risk.

“One move a millimetre to the wrong side of the larynx could have caused serious problems,” he said.

In total the operation has been performed on four other occasions globally, but in each of those cases the babies either died or suffered brain damage or serious respiratory problems, the Times report said.

After receiving Gonzalo's clean bill of health, his emotional parents have said they are looking forward to enjoying life with their 'fit and healthy' son.