Listed below are a series of health information sheets that have been developed and approved by the NC Women's Patient Education Committee. To access the information in Spanish, click on the area highlighted in green next to the sheet you wish to view. The words en español will take you directly to the sheet in Spanish. To return to this page, simply click "back". All of the information available in the Health Info Section is also available in Spanish. Click on the link above and go to Informacion de la Salud. The information sheets are listed by topic and in alphabetical order.
Pregnancy Decision Making
Prenatal Testing and Screening
Prenatal Care
Special Conditions of the Fetus and/or Mother
Labor and Delivery
Postpartum
Alphabetical Order
Additional Information for High-Risk Pregnancies
- Intrauterine Blood Transfusion (IUT)
Intrauterine Blood Transfusion is a process where blood is given to the fetus while still inside the womb in order to give the baby a better chance of survival. IUT uses the PUBS method in order to access the baby’s umbilical cord or baby’s abdomen. IUTs are given to fetuses with life-threatening conditions which cause anemia. The blood given to the fetus increases the amount of healthy blood in the fetus and helps the fetus grow and develop normally. Examples of conditions treated by IUT are RH disease (hemolytic disease), parvovirus infection, chronic fetomaternal hemorrhage, and inherited red cell disorders. Although these conditions are complicated, the process remains the same. The fetus does not have enough healthy blood to survive, and the process of transfusion gives the fetus a much better chance of survival.
- Percutaneous Umbilical Blood Sampling (PUBS)
PUBS is a procedure where the doctor removes blood from the baby’s umbilical cord with a needle in order to examine the baby’s blood for anomalies. Once the needle is in the baby’s cord, the doctor can remove blood for testing as well as administer medicine or blood to the baby directly. The benefit of PUBS as opposed to Amniocentesis or Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) is that the genetic information (karyotype) is available much sooner after the procedure. Also, PUBS can be used to both diagnose and treat some disorders such as anemia. The PUBS technique is used in procedures such as IUT (see below) but can also be used for testing and treatment of other conditions. PUBS is used to find chromosomal abnormalities, blood disorders such as anemia and hemophilia, infections in the baby’s blood, growth retardation, some birth defects as well as some metabolic disorders.
- Shunt Placement
A Shunt is a connection. In the case of Fetal Intervention, shunts are connections between a cavity in the baby’s body and the amniotic sac (bag of waters.) There are two types performed at UNC: Bladder Shunt and Thoracic Shunt. Each involves the use of Ultrasound to determine the baby’s placement, as well as a device inserted through your abdomen and uterus that places a tube between the baby’s bladder or lung and your amniotic sac. Each type of Shunt procedure is discussed below.
Bladder Shunt Placement
Sometimes the fetus has a blockage between the bladder and the outside world, preventing the bladder from emptying normally into the womb. The Shunt procedure creates a passage between the fetal bladder and the amniotic sac (bag of waters) allowing the baby’s urine to drain normally from the bladder. This can prevent kidney failure in the fetus. Bladder Shunt Placement is performed for fetuses with bladder outlet obstruction due usually to posterior urethral valves, urethral agenesis, urethral stricture and persistent cloaca.
Thoracic Shunt Placement
A Thoracic Shunt allows the fetal lung to drain excess fluid into the amniotic sac (bag of waters), allowing the lung to develop more normally and improving the health of your baby before and after birth. This type of Shunt is used for fetuses that have extra fluid in the lung cavity (pleural effusions) due to a variety of causes as well as Congenital Cystic Adenomatous Malformation. The procedure involves placing a connection between the fetus’s lung cavity and the amniotic sac.
