Docs keep brain-dead mom alive for 4 months, deliver twins

Brazilian doctors have become the first in the world to keep a brain dead pregnant woman alive on life support for 123 days - the longest period in medical history - before delivering twins successfully by emergency caesarean section.

The boy and girl were born at seven months in February this year and discharged from hospital at the end of May. Doctors believe it is the longest a pregnant woman has been kept alive, to ensure the safe delivery of her offspring.

The mother-to-be was left brain dead after suffering a stroke, but was kept alive for four months so doctors could deliver her healthy twins, named Asaph and Anna Vitoria.

Frankielen da Silva Zampoli Padilha, 21, from Brazil, died in October last year but was put on life support at nine weeks pregnant, until her babies were strong enough to survive on their own.

Frankielen and her husband Muriel Padilha had been together since they were teenagers and already had a daughter together.

Muriel Padilha, 24, has revealed his utter devastation at losing his wife but joy that their children survived.

Muriel spoke this week of how his wife Frankielen 21, died during pregnancy in October last year after suffering a stroke.

He told how doctors took the ground-breaking decision to save the 9-week-old embryos after their little hearts continued to beat in their mother's womb as they battled against the odds to stay alive.

The bereft husband, who was heartbroken by the loss his wife but overjoyed with the birth of Asaph and Anna Vitoria, described his children's birth as a miracle.

The babies' fight for life reduced doctors at the Nosso Senhora do Rocio hospital in Campo Largo, south Brazil, to tears as they provided unprecedented levels of care that included decorating the space around Frankielen's bed with her pictures; taking turns to sing to the unborn babies as they caressed her belly and talking to the growing foetuses in an amazing bid to substitute the absent mother's love with huge doses of tender loving care.

The unique case involved many complications stabilised only through the continuous intervention of medications to prevent the young mum's body from shutting down.

Doctors decided to put Frankielen on life support to save her babies after detecting their heart beats, despite their mum dying nine weeks into her pregnancy.

After her ventilator was switched off in February this year, her heart and kidneys were donated to save two other lives.

Muriel said, ''I was on my way to work last October when Frankielen called begging me to come back home urgently. She said her head was killing her.

''I told her to take a tablet but she said there was a sharp pain at the back of her neck and it was so strong she felt she was going to collapse.''

Muriel, an agriculture farmer in Contenda, rushed home to find his wife shaking, crying, dizzy and vomiting from the pain.

He said, ''As I drove her to hospital, she said 'I want you to be prepared to accept this because I will be staying there, I won't be coming home'.

''Then she passed out and those were the last words she spoke to me and the last time I saw her alive.''

Doctors diagnosed Frankielen with a brain haemorrhage – a type of stroke caused by a burst artery in the brain.

Three days later she was declared brain dead and doctors warned Muriel there may not be hope for the twins.

He recalled, ''They told me they would give the babies three more days of life because they had given my wife multiple CT scans, sedated her with powerful drugs and pumped her full of antibiotics and this meant everything had ended up in our babies.

 ''They said as soon as their little hearts stopped beating, they would turn off the gadgets and I would be able to bury my wife.''

But the babies clung to life and doctors decided to keep Frankielen alive until the babies were ready to be born.

Dr Dalton Rivabem, head of neurological intensive care at Nosso Senhora do Rocio hospital, said, ''We did an ultrasound on the embryos thinking they would be failing in the womb but to our surprise they were clinging to life. Frankielen's organs were all intact and working as if she was still with us.

''We took the decision to keep her alive to save her unborn children and every day we watched them grow normally.''

Dr Rivabem said there had been a similar case in Portugal where a foetus grew for 107 days until being born while mum was on life support.

He added, ''There have been other cases, but ours is the longest one with 123 days - four months, and we started with embryos at two months and delivered twins.

 ''It was an extremely challenging case, which required intensive multidisciplinary work. There were many complications with continuous support of medications to maintain pressure, maintain oxygenation, maintain continuous nutrition and hormonal balance.

''One of our main concerns was to keep the organ functions continual for the babies to grow and develop.''

Scores of people across Brazil have raised thousands of pounds in support and many have donated baby clothes, nappies and other essentials for the little ones.

The pair is now being looked after by Frankielen's mother, Angela Silva, while Muriel is at work.