‘Miracle’: Israeli doctors save lives of pregnant woman, fetus on first anniversary

“Only when I saw him this week for the first time in the preterm and held him close to me, I didn’t stop crying with happiness for the miracle that happened to both of us,” the mother said.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Tatiana Cohen and the doctors who saved her and life and her fetus are describing her rescue from a rare medical condition a “miracle,” after she suddenly began experiencing intense pains from what turned out to be a rare medical condition.

What was supposed to be a romantic celebration of her first wedding anniversary instead turned into a battle between life and death.

Two weeks ago, the 38-year-old and her husband, Farshan, were celebrating their anniversary in Tel Aviv when she suddenly began experiencing excruciating stomach pains and nausea.

Although her due date was still two months away, she sensed that something was gravely wrong. Trusting her instincts, she immediately called for an ambulance, which rushed her to Ichilov Hospital.

“I had an inner feeling that the pains I was having were related to the pregnancy,” Tatiana recalled.

Medical tests initially appeared normal, but Tatiana’s condition took a sudden and dramatic turn within hours. Dr. Ayelet Dangot, a gynecologist on duty, recognized the gravity of the situation when Tatiana complained of severe abdominal pain and showed signs of fetal distress during an ultrasound examination. An urgent caesarean section was performed. The baby was delivered and successfully resuscitated.

But Cohen’s ordeal was far from over.

During the caesarean section, massive internal bleeding was detected in Tatiana’s abdomen. Additional surgical experts traced the bleeding to a tear in the splenic artery, an extremely complex and life-threatening situation.

“An aneurysm of the splenic artery is a weakening and expansion of the blood vessel wall that feeds the spleen,” Dangot explained. “This is a very rare condition that is identified in less than one percent of the population. A rupture of such an aneurysm is a life-threatening emergency that requires urgent surgical intervention and involves about 25% mortality.”

The doctor added that pregnancy is a risk factor for the aneurysm’s rupture, and that between 75-95% of the fetuses do not survive the situation.

“There is no doubt that this is a great miracle, thanks to the vigilance of the patient and the quick and professional treatment given by the best doctors in Ichilov,” Dangot said.

A surgical team successfully performed an intricate operation to control the bleeding by removing part of the spleen and tail of the pancreas. Tatiana’s condition was stabilized, and she was transferred to the intensive care unit for further treatment and observation.

In the days following the operation, both Tatiana and her baby have recovered remarkably well, the hospital said, and the baby no longer needs to be connected to a respirator. An emotional reunion took place in the preterm ward as Tatiana held her baby for the first time.

“All these days in the hospital I did not believe that I had a baby and that he was alive,” said Tatiana. “Only when I saw him this week for the first time in the preterm and held him close to me…I didn’t stop crying with happiness for the miracle that happened to both of us.”

Ichilov HospitalIsraeli doctorsIsraeli medical care