Innovative Procedures Treat Complicated Pregnancies and Help Babies Survive
SALT LAKE CITY, (January 7, 2008) – St. Mark’s Hospital recently joined a small number of medical facilities performing advanced fetal surgeries and providing comprehensive maternal fetal medicine services. The experienced specialists at St. Mark’s Maternal Fetal Medicine, Dr. Robert Ball and Dr. Michael Belfort, are the only physicians in the Intermountain West performing innovative, clinically proven surgeries that help save babies before they are born.
“Only 14-15 medical centers nationwide provide the expertise and level of maternal fetal care now available at our hospital,” reported Steven B. Bateman, CEO at St. Mark’s, a member of the HCA MountainStar family. “Our specialists offer hope to expectant women when they are faced with serious complications.”
One of these is twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which occurs in twin pregnancies when blood passes disproportionately between two babies through connected blood vessels in a single, shared placenta. In TTTS, one twin gets too much blood and the other, not enough, and the amniotic fluid surrounding each fetus becomes severely imbalanced. As a result, one baby is at risk for heart failure and stroke, and the other for severe anemia.
TTTS occurs in 10-15 percent of identical twin pregnancies and is diagnosed by ultrasound, usually between 16-22 weeks of pregnancy. If left untreated, severe cases have an 80-90 percent mortality rate for one or both of the twins.
Now, St. Mark’s Hospital offers advanced, proven treatment options for TTTS. Women experiencing this condition and other serious pregnancy complications no longer have to travel out of state for comprehensive and expert treatment.
The maternal fetal medicine services provided by St. Mark’s Hospital include the following minimally-invasive procedures:
HCA FETAL THERAPY INITIATIVE
The maternal fetal medicine specialists at St. Mark’s Hospital are also serving as expert consultants for the Hospital Corporation of America® (HCA) as part of a nationwide, fetal therapy initiative. This program was launched to offer the most current treatment options and improve the quality of care for expectant women experiencing complications during pregnancy. In this capacity, Ball and Belfort collaborate with primary obstetrical physicians and maternal fetal medicine specialists on individual cases. They conduct consultations and discuss optimal treatment options – in person or via a telemedicine program – as well as perform fetal surgeries at facilities across the country. The five additional hospitals now participating in the HCA initiative are located in Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Virginia. Now, an increasing number of expectant women will receive consistent and seamless maternal fetal care close to home, which is especially important when the patient cannot travel because of medical, financial or personal concerns. St. Mark’s Hospital will serve as the primary site for the most advanced maternal fetal medicine services in Utah and the Intermountain West.
While fetal surgery will be performed at St. Mark’s Hospital, expectant women throughout Utah and Idaho have access to the specialized services provided by St. Mark’s Maternal Fetal Medicine experts at a number of MountainStar hospitals. These currently include Ogden Regional Medical Center, Timpanogos Hospital and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
About St. Mark’s Hospital and HCA MountainStar
A member of the HCA MountainStar family of hospitals, Salt Lake City-based St. Mark’s was Utah’s first hospital when it opened in 1872. After 135 years of providing patient care in the 300-bed hospital, St. Mark’s is the most preferred hospital in Salt Lake County, according to Valley Research, an independent research firm. It was ranked among the top five-percent of the nation’s hospitals for overall clinical excellence by HealthGrades in 2007 and as “Best in Utah” in critical care, joint services, pulmonary services and general surgery.