AMAZING: Doctors perform surgery on baby during delivery to save her life

In October, doctors in Colorado performed a life-saving surgery on a preborn baby girl by partially delivering her via c-section, and then performing surgery midway through birth before completing her delivery.

According to the Denver Post, Angelica Vance began to experience pain during her third pregnancy, and her pregnant belly expanded too quickly — an indication that there was an excessive buildup of amniotic fluid. After removing excess fluid, doctors performed an ultrasound and an MRI, and discovered a growth on her daughter Chloe’s chest and neck. The growth was blocking her airway and preventing her from swallowing amniotic fluid, which preborn children do to prepare for breathing and swallowing outside the womb.

Doctors feared Chloe would not be able to breathe at birth, and there would be no time to perform surgery to remove the growth at that point. They had to act quickly to save her life before her birth was completed.

EXIT Procedure

Dr. Chris Derderian, a pediatric and fetal surgeon who treated Vance and Chloe at Children’s Hospital Colorado, offered Vance an ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure. In the rare surgery, Chloe would be partially delivered via C-section, and doctors would insert a breathing tube, pushing it past the growth. The placenta would act as a sort of ‘life support’ — supplying Chloe with oxygen while the doctors placed the tube that would allow a ventilator to help her breathe once she was fully delivered.

The surgery wasn’t without risks. The anesthesiologist gave Vance medication to relax her uterus to prevent the placenta from tearing, but this would also increase the risk of serious bleeding. In addition, if the breathing tube could not be inserted due to the growth, doctors would need to perform a tracheotomy, and place the tube through a hole cut in the front of Chloe’s neck.

With medical professionals from 40 different specialties gathered in the operating room, Chloe’s head and shoulders were delivered via C-section, and a clock was set for 90 minutes  — the amount of time the placenta would continue to sustain Chloe. Thankfully, the procedure went as Dr. Derderian had hoped; the tube was inserted, and Chloe’s delivery was completed. She survived.

The EXIT procedure is so rare that Children’s Hospital Colorado only performs it once a year. But it has helped many babies to survive. Sadly, other babies close to Chloe’s age are actively and intentionally killed even into the third trimester by induced abortion, based on faulty thinking that they aren’t fully persons.

At three days old, Chloe had a second surgery to remove the growth, which was found to be non-cancerous. After about 10 days, Chloe was removed from the ventilator, and was discharged home with her family at six weeks old. She did not need supplemental oxygen but did need a feeding tube, as it was difficult for her to swallow.

Today, she is healthy and is undergoing therapy to help build up her neck muscles and swallow.

“It feels like playing a lot of catch-up, but she has come a long way,” Vance said. “It helps you to see something positive.”