Seoul St. Mary's Hospital credits swift emergency response for successful outcome

[Provided by Seoul St. Mary's Hospital]
[Provided by Seoul St. Mary's Hospital]

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, affiliated with the Catholic University of Korea, announced Monday that its medical team successfully managed a high-risk twin pregnancy, helping a mother who had struggled with repeated infertility deliver a healthy baby.

The mother, who conceived after nine years of marriage, lost the first of her twins early in the pregnancy. Through intensive treatment and high-risk pregnancy management, she went on to deliver the second twin naturally at 37 weeks — a full-term birth. The twins had been given the nickname "Tikitaka," reflecting the parents' hope that the two would grow up to get along well. Around 15 weeks into the pregnancy, however, an unexpected crisis struck: the mother suddenly felt a gush of fluid, as if a water balloon had burst.

The hospital recognized the emergency and quickly transferred her to the Regional Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. Tests revealed that the cervix had dilated, and the first twin was ultimately lost to spontaneous premature birth. To protect the remaining fetus, the medical team performed a cervical cerclage and began intensive management, including treatment to suppress uterine contractions. At 37 weeks, shortly after the cerclage suture was removed, the mother was readmitted with signs of cervical dilation and amniotic fluid leakage. Taking into account her age — in her late 30s — and her clinical condition, the team monitored both mother and fetus closely until a healthy baby girl was finally delivered naturally.

Ko Hyun-sun, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division at the center, served as the attending physician. She said the birth was significant because the team had sustained the remaining pregnancy to full term despite a combination of crises — premature rupture of membranes, cervical dilation and the preterm loss of one twin.


woo@heraldcorp.com