A woman in labour who had suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to hospital was rescued in Kiev

Doctors at the Chernivtsi Regional Perinatal Centre faced a difficult case when a baby was born healthy, but the mother was diagnosed with a fatal diagnosis and her rescue depended on how quickly professional decisions were made. The story of the woman's rescue was shared by Lubov Godnyuk, Acting Director General of the Chernivtsi Regional Perinatal Centre.

The doctor pointed out that Tatyana (the woman in labour - ed.) had a complicated pregnancy. Thanks to an emergency caesarean section, a healthy boy was born. But his mum's condition was extremely serious.

I ran to the anaesthesiology and intensive care department and saw a depressing picture, where everyone - anaesthesiologists-resuscitators, obstetricians-gynaecologists, professors of the department - were saving the patient. But Tatyana's condition was getting worse and the terrible diagnosis - "amniotic fluid embolism" - gave no chance," Godnyuk said.

The doctor said that amniotic fluid embolism is a critical condition associated with the ingress of amniotic fluid and its contents into the pulmonary vessels with the development of shock of mixed genesis up to cardiac arrest, acute respiratory failure and acute DIC.

She noted that the regional perinatal centre began to look for doctors for Tatyana in Kiev. However, it was not easy to find a doctor who would be ready to help the woman urgently.

The only chance I had was to find the Director General of the National Scientific Centre of Surgery and Transplantology named after A. Shalimov of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, who was abroad at the time. I was desperate to find a way out, to persuade the Director General and give the last chance to this family not to lose their mother, wife, daughter," Godnyuk recalled.

She said that after she arranged with a colleague, they found transport to Kiev for the woman in labour.

The woman, according to the vital signs and resources of the organism, had very little time left and the countdown was running into the hours. Tetyana's parents wrote a receipt that in case of her death there would be no claims to the medics," Godnyuk said.

However, on the way out of Chernivtsi, Tetyana suffered a cardiac arrest. The brigade carried out resuscitation measures and resumed work. Further, during the transport, an emergency car came to each settlement and refuelled oxygen.

The patient was taken to the hospital at night. The next day the doctors in the capital operated on Tanya.

Victor Torak, a graduate of Bukovyna State Medical University, our fellow countryman, our pride, became Tanya's attending physician. We communicated daily, discussed the condition of our patient, prayed and cheered together, rejoiced at small successes and victories," the doctor said.

As the medic added, the woman began to recover and soon got back on her feet.