Amman, Sept. 3 (Petra) — A multidisciplinary team at Jordan
University Hospital (JUH) successfully secured the airway of a fetus
with complete congenital obstruction of the larynx and trachea during
cesarean delivery while placental circulation was maintained, the
hospital said Thursday.

The hospital described the procedure as the first of its kind in
Jordan and the region.

The patient was referred to JUH from outside Jordan during the sixth
month of pregnancy after a congenital fetal abnormality was detected
without a definitive diagnosis. An ultrasound examination by
maternal-fetal medicine and fetal intervention consultant Oqba Quraan
identified complete congenital airway obstruction at the level of the
larynx and trachea, which was later confirmed by fetal magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI).

A multidisciplinary team developed a delivery and surgical plan that
would allow the newborn’s airway to be established before separation
from the placenta.

At 36 weeks of pregnancy, the baby was partially delivered by
cesarean section while remaining connected to the placenta and
receiving oxygen through the umbilical cord. This allowed the medical
team to secure the airway before completing the delivery.

ENT surgery consultant Lubna Khraysheh performed a tracheostomy and
inserted a tracheal tube, allowing the baby to breathe. The newborn
was subsequently placed on mechanical ventilation as a precaution.

The airway intervention took about 20 minutes. After stabilization,
the newborn was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit and
is currently reported to be in stable condition with good vital
signs.

The medical team also included senior neonatology consultant Iman
Badran, anesthesia, intensive care and pediatric anesthesia
consultant Omar Ababneh, and pediatric diagnostic radiology
consultant Tahani Khdeir.

The hospital said the child will undergo a comprehensive assessment
of the larynx and airway once the condition stabilizes to determine
further treatment, which may include laryngeal repair and airway
reconstruction.

//Petra// AO