New Delhi: In a medical miracle, a woman who was in coma for seven months at the AIIMS trauma centre here delivered a healthy baby last week.
The 23-year-old Shafiya was seven weeks pregnant when she sustained serious head injuries in an accident. She was treated initially in UP’s Bulandshar, before being referred to AIIMS Delhi trauma centre.
Since being shifted to AIIMS Delhi on April 1, Shafiya underwent four neurosurgical surgeries.
An ultrasound scan, done when she was 18 weeks pregnant, confirmed that the baby was healthy and kicking.
On October 22, she gave birth by normal delivery.
The woman, however, is still unconscious.
According to neurosurgeon Dr Deepak Gupta, Shafiya has a 10-15% chance of regaining consciousness.
“A lot of discussion was held in her first and second trimester of pregnancy on whether we should terminate her pregnancy or continue the pregnancy as mother was still unconscious. As no congenital anomalies were noted in the fetus with serial level 2 ultrasound examinations, medical team suggested the option to continue pregnancy to family,” Dr Gupta was quoted as saying by India Today.
“The decision to terminate the pregnancy in view of the mother’s condition was left to the family. The family decided to continue the pregnancy subsequently. Highly uncommon. I haven’t come across any such case in my 22 years of neurosurgical career at AIIMS,” he added.
