KNH Doctors Successfully Transfuse Baby In Mother’s Womb In Delicate Procedure

• Kenyatta National Hospital achieved a successful intrauterine fetal transfusion milestone, saving a baby with severe anaemia
• Doctors used ultrasound guidance to inject red blood cells into the fetus, offering hope for the mother after previous complications
• The groundbreaking procedure brought potential positive outcomes for the 25-week-old baby, addressing rhesus alloimmunisation

Doctors at the Kenyatta National Hospital have successfully transfused a baby while still in its mother's womb in a delicate procedure known as Intrauterine Fetal Transfusion.

Red blood cells injected into the foetus

A team of four doctors undertook the new milestone in foetal medicine, assisted by two nurses and a reproductive health clinical officer.

Intrauterine transfusion happens when the red blood cells of a donor are injected into the foetus, and doctors recommend it when the developing baby has anaemia.

According to a press release by the hospital, the doctors used an ultrasound to determine the positions of the foetus and placenta, then inserted the needle into the mother's abdomen and finally into the umbilical vein or the foetus's abdomen.

Mum loses two pregnancies

"The mother doesn't have any other children; the last two died of a blood complication known as haemolytic disease of the newborn," said Dr. Rosa Chemwey.

"We hope that this particular pregnancy succeeds. We hope for positive outcomes; this baby is 25 weeks, three days old," she added.

The baby had severe anaemia because it was rhesus alloimmunised. According to National Library of Medicine, Rh alloimmunization occurs when the maternal immune system is sensitized to D(Rh) erythrocyte surface antigens.

"So the mum's antibodies destroy the baby's blood which then leads to anaemia over time," she said.

KNH doctors separate conjoined twins

In February 2023, doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital separated conjoined twins who had been joined at the chest and abdomen.

KNH CEO Evanson Kamuri said the operation, which took 15 hours, involved 38 medical personnel The medical team said the twins, who hail from Bungoma county, had heart abnormalities.

"We have successfully managed to separate conjoined twins who were brought from Bungoma county. They were about four months old. We were waiting for six months when more tissues would have been formed, but because of one or two reasons the twins were changing conditions and we had to go in urgently on Saturday," said Kamuri on Monday, February 6.