Healthy baby born to brain-dead mom in Hungary

A premature but healthy baby was delivered after doctors kept the baby's brain-dead mother on life support for three months. The medical center at the University of Debrecen in east Hungary said on Nov 13 that some of the mother's organs were donated to four recipients two days after the baby was born. [Photo/Xinhua]

BUDAPEST - A baby's life was saved and four other people got a new lease on life from the organs of a brain-dead woman, the medical center of University of Debrecen in east Hungary reported on Wednesday.

Professor Bela Fulesdi, head of the medical center, held a news conference where he reported on the case.

The 31-year-old woman was 15 weeks pregnant when she suffered a fatal cerebrovascular accident. Although she was air-lifted to the university hospital and underwent immediate surgery, her brain ceased to function. However, her body remained on life-support as her doctors and family resolved to try and save the unborn baby.

The university website reported that although there had been successful precedents, none had involved a fetus as young as 15 weeks. A medical team including neurologists, gynecologists-obstetricians, anesthesiologists, endocrinologists, and geneticists supervised the life support systems, which they maintained for three months.

A C-section was performed during the 27th week of the pregnancy, and the infant proved healthy although only 1420 grams in weight.

After the baby was transferred to an incubator, the family and the medical team resolved to harvest the organs of the brain-dead woman, and removed her liver, kidneys, pancreas, and heart. The organs were successfully transplanted into four other patients.

The hospital offered no further information on the baby other than reporting that the infant was released to the family after 10 weeks in a neonatal incubator and is healthy and thriving. The family declined to give either the name of the baby or the gender, seeking full privacy. The names of the organ recipients were also kept private.