Brain dead American woman gives birth to girl

A 26-year-old brain dead pregnant woman kept on life support for almost three months at a Virginia hospital gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The baby, delivered by Cesarean section, weighed one pound and 13 ounces (0.8 kg) and was being monitored in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Virginia Hospital Center, the hospital said in a statement.

The mother, Susan Torres, suffered a stroke on May 7 in the 17th week of her pregnancy due to an aggressive melanoma and was brain dead, her family said.

A statement on The Susan M. Torres Fund Web site said the baby, named Susan Anne Catherine Torres, was doing well and there were no complications during delivery.

The fund was established to help the Torres family raise money to defray medical costs not covered by insurance. The mother was kept on life support at Virginia Hospital Center to allow time for the fetus to develop.

“The entire staff and administration of Virginia Hospital Center, especially the physicians and nurses caring for Susan Torres and Baby Girl Torres, are delighted with the successful delivery,” the hospital statement said.

The hospital provided no further information.

Provided by ArmMed Media
Revision date: June 18, 2011
Last revised: by Janet A. Staessen, MD, PhD