At the time of admission, the mother was exhausted with a high fever, unable to walk, lethargic and tired. In particular, many typical hemorrhagic rashes appeared on her body, along with signs of labor, premature rupture of membranes and severely low platelet count.
Patient was diagnosed: 38 weeks pregnant, premature rupture of membranes; dengue fever with warning signs.
The pregnant woman was scheduled to give birth on November 26, but on the 5th day of dengue fever, she showed signs of labor and was taken to the Central Maternity Hospital for examination. Test results showed that the patient's platelet count had dropped sharply to only 15 G/L, 10 times lower than the normal minimum level of 150 G/L. This is a serious decrease, requiring urgent medical intervention.
Immediately afterwards, the pregnant woman was transferred to the Obstetrics Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases for further monitoring and treatment.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha - Head of Obstetrics Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases - said: Immediately upon admission, we transfused platelets to stabilize the patient's condition and organized a specialist consultation to come up with the best solution. However, the fetus was in an abnormal position (face-down). This forced us to perform an emergency cesarean section to ensure the safety of both mother and child.
Surgery is a major challenge when the patient is in the dangerous stage of dengue fever (day 4-7 of the disease), facing the risk of hemorrhage due to a sharp decrease in platelets.
After surgery, the 2.7kg baby boy was born safely. His health is now stable. The mother was immediately transferred to the Intensive Care Unit to continue receiving platelet and red blood cell transfusions. Up to now, the patient's health has stabilized, the breathing tube has been removed and he is practicing breathing normally.
Dr. Ha added that dengue fever has diverse clinical manifestations. The disease often starts suddenly and progresses through 4 stages: incubation period, onset period, full-blown period and recovery period. The disease can progress rapidly from dengue fever to severe dengue. Pregnant women need to pay special attention to monitoring their health, especially when there are unusual symptoms such as high fever, fatigue or rashes on the skin. Regular check-ups and testing help detect potential risks early, especially in the context of dengue fever on the rise.
