According to the recent news report, experts in fetal cardiology can detect and even treat heart problems in babies weeks before their birth. A 20-week pregnant mother presented for ultrasound examination. During this examination, an obstetrician discovered that baby’s heart rate was very slow and referred her to a fetal cardiologist. The baby’s heart was beating about 50 times a minute and a normal heart rate of a baby in the womb is about 150.
A blood test confirmed that baby’s mother had a very rare condition in which antibodies attack her fetal tissues. Doctors immediately prescribed steroids and a special transfusion to stabilize and protect baby’s heart in the womb. At the 37-week ultrasound examination again showed a reduction in baby’s heartbeat which resulted in the ordering of a C-section. A baby weighing 5 pounds and 2 ounces was born and immediately shifted to Cardiac…
