Miami doctors saved the life of baby Lucas Hormachea by operating on him inside his mother's womb, Cuban Lainey Ramos Arango, in an unusual surgery performed for the first time in Florida.
A report by Telemundo51 revealed the medical milestone that took place at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami: Lucas underwent surgery for a malformation of the blood vessels in the brain while still in the mother's womb. The baby was born without complications five weeks later, via cesarean section.
The intrauterine surgery, carried out by doctors from the University of Miami and the Jackson health system, was considered a success and today the child is healthy.
At 32 weeks of pregnancy, the baby "was diagnosed with a rare anomaly in the blood vessels of the brain that can cause heart failure," the report stated.
Dr. Rodrigo Ruano explained that he had an aneurysm in the vein of Galen, which "can cause problems in his heart, which may fail and Lucas could die." Surgery was essential.
“The world came crashing down on me because the forecasts were very bad,” confessed the mother, who found herself at a crossroads deciding whether to operate on her first son before he was born.
"My first baby, a full-term pregnancy, had no solution, I had to go through with it, it was very tough," Ramos admitted, unable to hold back the tears as she recalled those moments.
The doctors at Holtz Children's Hospital from the Jackson Health System recommended undergoing an intrauterine embolization, which would be the first in the state of Florida.
The young mother admitted she was scared: "There are very few cases, it scared me," she told reporter Arly Alfaro. However, she was aware that it was the best option for her baby.
The intervention was carried out in an operating room specially equipped for intrauterine surgeries, in the Neonatology Department of Jackson Memorial Hospital. According to the report, this type of procedure has been recorded about five times worldwide.
The surgeons shared some details of the operation with Telemundo51. "We were able to insert a small needle into Lucas's head, directly into the normal vessel, protecting the brain," explained Dr. Ruano, for whom it was the second surgery of this kind.
After a few weeks post-surgery, the doctor confirmed that the aneurysm had reduced by over 60%.
On his part, Dr. Robert Starke stated: "Usually, this is something we address after the baby is born, but when the baby is in the womb, we can reverse heart and lung problems, allowing the brain more time to develop."
Lucas must return to the hospital for a check-up exams, but his mother and doctors are hopeful that he will enjoy a normal life.
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