A Portuguese woman who was declared brain-dead by doctors four months ago has given birth to a healthy baby boy through Caesarean section.
Officials at a hospital in Lisbon announced that they have successfully carried out the Caesarean section on an unnamed woman who had been considered brain-dead since February because of brain hemorrhage.
The woman's family decided to push through with her pregnancy after several tests revealed that the fetus she was carrying was still healthy despite her condition.
Doctors conducted the operation on Tuesday, and they were able to deliver the patient's baby boy, who was in good health and weighed in at 2.35 kilograms (5 pounds and 3 ounces). The doctors, however, did not specify whether the brain-dead woman remained on life support following the baby's delivery.
According to the hospital, the baby was the longest surviving fetus ever to be delivered successfully from a brain-dead mother in the history of Portugal.
In April, a similarly brain-dead woman in Poland was kept alive by doctors for 55 days so that she could give birth to her child. Despite being born premature, the baby showed no signs of any serious complications.
The 41-year-old mother was taken to the University Hospital in the southern city of Wroclaw last year. However, she was eventually declared to be brain dead because of brain cancer.
The woman's family opted to keep the baby, so doctors kept the woman alive until her child has developed enough to be delivered.
"It's rare to successfully maintain a pregnancy for so long, that it is at such an early stage, at 17 or 18 weeks," Barbara Krolak-Olejnik, head of the neonatal unit at the hospital, explained.
Krolak-Olejnik said doctors wanted to let the baby grow in the woman's womb some more before they delivered him but decided to carry out the Caesarean section to ensure his safety. They were able to deliver the child, who weighed in at just 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).
The baby boy had to be kept under intensive care during his first three months, but doctors said he has grown in size and showed no signs of serious complications.
Following the baby's delivery, his mother was taken off life support.
In August 2005, Susan Torres made headlines after she gave birth to a baby girl at a Virginia hospital despite being brain dead and on life support. She had suffered a stroke three months earlier likely as a result of her undiagnosed malignant melanoma.
Torres died after being taken off life support following the delivery of her baby. Her daughter was born premature and suffered from an intestinal disorder. She died while undergoing surgery for her condition.
Photo: Toshiyuki IMAI | Flickr
