New CHLA-USC program offers innovative care to high-risk pregnancies
Courtesy of Ramen Chmait
The CHLA-USC Fetal Therapy Program is part of the Institute for Maternal Fetal Health. Ramen Chmait, director of the CHLA-USC Fetal Therapy Program, is one of a few surgeons west of the Mississippi who can perform specialized fetal surgery to treat conditions while the baby remains inside the womb. Chmait is also assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology, division of maternal-fetal medicine at the Keck School.
"Through this important collaboration, women with high-risk pregnancies have new options," he said.
A wide variety of fetal abnormalities can be treated through fetal surgery, including Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome—a rare condition seen in approximately 10 percent of twins who share the same placenta. The condition is caused by an unbalanced flow of blood through vascular channels that connect the circulatory systems of each twin through the common placenta.
As fetuses share the same placenta, blood flow to each twin becomes unequal. One fetus becomes overloaded with amniotic fluid and can develop heart failure, while the other—deprived of amniotic fluid—may develop low blood volume. In these situations, when left untreated, there is over a 90 percent chance neither baby will survive.
With the help of new technology, Chmait can perform fetal surgery on new mothers diagnosed with Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. A three-and-a-half-millimeter scope allows surgical access into the womb with minimal disturbance to the pregnancy and the mother. The surgery is performed under local anesthesia through an incision that is less than half of one centimeter.
"Fetal surgery gives women with high-risk pregnancies, such as Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, hope," said Chmait. "I quote my patients about a 90 percent chance that following this procedure at least one baby will survive and 72 percent chance that both babies will survive."
For more information, please call the Institute for Maternal Fetal Health at (323) 361-6074 or visit www.maternal-fetalhealth.org.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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