Life-saving care following recent birth

A young family have praised the life-saving care provided by King Edward Memorial Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital following the recent birth of their third child.

During a 20-week scan, mum Emily was diagnosed with a rare pregnancy complication known as placenta increta, where the placenta embeds too deeply into the wall of the uterus.

King Edward Memorial Hospital Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Mathias Epee said the rare disease can cause major problems for both the mother and the baby.

"The condition affects 1 in every 500 pregnancies and is one of the most complex challenges in obstetrics today."

Our Placenta Accreta Service typically treats seven to 10 women a year with the condition, however, this is starting to rise and the hospital recorded 24 cases last year.

“We know that it’s a worldwide problem that is significantly linked to the increase of caesarean sections in the community,” said Dr Epee.

The complex surgery was undertaken at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital to enable easy access to a number of specialist surgical teams.

Thanks to the support of our specialist teams from both hospitals, Emily and baby Lilly are thriving.

Our Placenta Accreta Service is a multidisciplinary team providing antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care for women with suspected placenta accreta, percreta or increta in the current pregnancy.

The multidisciplinary team includes obstetricians, gynaecologists, maternal fetal medicine specialists, Imaging specialists, psychiatrists, vascular and urology surgeons, haematologist, blood scientists, anaesthesiologists, perioperative nurses and anaesthetists assistants with expertise in abnormal placentation.