Nebraskan doctors were able to prolong the life of a brain-dead mother for 54 days in order for them to deliver her unborn baby boy named Angel via Caesarian section. Karla Perez, 22, suffered from a brain bleed that left her brain dead.
Washington Post reports that Karla and her husband was excited to have their baby but at 22 weeks, she collapsed in their home in Nebraska which left her in a coma and brain dead. Her family and the health-care team at Methodist Health System in Nebraska were left to decide on the baby's fate.
In the long run, they decided to prolong the life of the 22-year old mother so that her baby could develop well enough to thrive in the outside world. For the doctors and staff of the hospital, this is their first time to do it. However, it was in 1999 when a brain-dead woman in the United States delivered to a baby.
Karla, however, passed away two days after the delivery, reports Fox News. Her baby, who was named Angel, only weighed 2 pounds, 12.6 ounces at birth. He is now admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as he needs to be incubated
The hospital team consists of more than 100 doctors, nurses and staff and they all worked together to keep Karla alive for 54 days. Originally, they were aiming for Angel to be 32 weeks AOG but Karla's condition dramatically declined prompting for an emergency operation and delivery.
Sue Korth, vice president and COO of Methodist Women's Hospital, said in a statement, "Our team took a giant leap of faith. We were attempting something that not many before us have been able to do."
Meanwhile, Angel is still under observation and doctors are trying their best to make him survive. Neonatologist Dr. Brady Kerr said, "We are cautiously optimistic."
Karla is a registered organ donor and has helped three people with her organs.
