Manipal: Kasturba Hospital successfully manages Bombay Negative blood group pregnancy case
Manipal, Feb 03, 2023: Kasturba Hospital in Manipal handled a unique medical case with great success.
The patient, who was referred for management of an O-negative pregnancy with a positive indirect Coombs test, was diagnosed with the rare Bombay Negative blood group after testing at Kasturba Hospital Blood Center.
The team of doctors, led by Dr. Shamee Shastry, professor and head of the Blood Center, and Dr. Akhila Vasudeva, professor and head of foetal medicine, faced a challenging task as there are only a limited number of donors with this blood group available in the country.
To manage the case, the doctors increased the patient’s haemoglobin level using hematinics, erythropoietin injections, and iron injections. Obstetric care was further complicated by Fetal Growth Restriction and poor blood supply to the fetus. Fetus was also at risk of anemia due to maternal antibodies, for which additional intense monitoring was done.
Despite these difficulties, Dr. Akhila Vasudeva was able to get the baby delivered through a bloodless surgery after intense monitoring.
The success of this case highlights the importance of antenatal antibody screening and blood grouping during pregnancy. This case highlights that timely identification of a rare blood phenotype leads to better patient management.
Kasturba Hospital’s chief operating officer, Dr Anand Venugopal , and medical superintendent, Dr Avinash Shetty praised the medical team for their timely diagnosis and effective management of this rare case.
