Five-week-old Lucas Ramos is a healthy baby boy, thanks to a groundbreaking procedure performed by doctors at Jackson Health System. This marked the first in-utero embolization in Florida, carried out at Holtz Children’s Hospital.
At 35 weeks pregnant, Lainey Ramos Arango’s OBGYN discovered a rare blood vessel abnormality in her unborn baby’s brain.
Arango, speaking in Spanish, described her initial shock and fear upon learning the prognosis was grim.
“Baby Lucas had a vein of Galen malformation,” explained Dr. Robert Starke, co-director of endovascular neurosurgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital. “This condition involves a large pouch connecting the arteries to the veins in the brain, causing excessive blood flow back to the heart. This can lead to heart failure, lung failure, and hindered brain development.”
Dr. Rodrigo Ruano, director of UHealth Jackson Fetal Care Center, added, “The worst outcome is heart failure, which can be fatal for the baby.”
Given the low survival rate for babies with this condition, Arango was referred to Dr. Starke and Dr. Ruano.
Despite her fears, Arango decided to proceed with the emergency procedure to give her baby a chance.
Dr. Ruano and Dr. Starke, along with their team, performed the in-utero embolization at Holtz Children’s Hospital. This was the first such procedure reported in Florida and only the fifth in the United States.
“We believe treating these babies in the womb can reverse heart and lung problems and allow normal brain development,” Dr. Starke said.
The procedure involved using a long needle guided by ultrasound to enter the mother’s abdomen and reach the vein. They then placed coils to block the malformation and reduce blood flow.
Following the surgery, Arango delivered a healthy baby boy via C-section. Lucas thrived and only spent a week in the NICU, a significantly shorter stay compared to other babies with similar conditions.
“Why is this baby a miracle? Because we performed the procedure in utero, and Lucas was born at 39 weeks by C-section. He only needed a week in the NICU, which is extraordinary,” Dr. Ruano said.
Arango expressed immense gratitude to her doctors and joy over her miracle baby.
