Nilambur doctors save tribal woman, newborn after rare uterine rupture

Quick and coordinated intervention by doctors at Nilambur Government District Hospital saved the lives of a 25-year-old tribal woman and her newborn baby after a rare uterine rupture left the baby trapped in the mother’s abdominal cavity.

The woman from Cheerakkuzhi tribal hamlet near Chugathara was brought to the hospital by an autorickshaw on Monday, July 20, 2026, due to severe abdominal pain. She did not receive prenatal care during her pregnancy. There was no screening, blood testing or even blood grouping.

When he reached the hospital around 10.40 in the morning, his amniotic sac was ruptured and heavy meconium-stained fluid was flowing. Senior gynecologist Laxmy Rajmohan suspected uterine rupture. The woman’s pulse was racing, the baby’s heartbeat was weak, and the shape of the uterus looked abnormal.

“There was no time to waste. If we delayed, we could have lost both the mother and the baby,” Laxmy said.

The woman had previously had two cesarean births and had been warned against another pregnancy due to a uterine abnormality. Doctors later discovered that she had uterine didelphys, a rare condition in which the uterus has two separate cavities.

Although birth control was recommended to her after her second birth, this was not done. Her pregnancy went unnoticed by her and local ASHA workers as she continued to menstruate.

Nilambur hospital does not have a neonatal intensive care unit and such cases are usually referred to Kozhikode or Manjeri. But doctors felt he would not survive the delay of replacing him. The anesthesia team allowed him to undergo emergency surgery without waiting for routine examinations.

The operation confirmed doctors’ fears. Thick meconium had spilled into the abdominal cavity. The uterus was completely ruptured, the placenta was sticking out through the rupture, and the baby was lying freely in the abdomen.

“It was difficult to even conceive the baby. Somehow we delivered the child and immediately handed over the newborn to the pediatrician,” Dr Laxmy recalled. Laxmy.

The baby was transferred to Kozhikode Maternal and Child Health Institute for specialized care. Doctors repaired the ruptured uterus and the woman recovered without even needing a liter of blood. He is recovering at Nilambur Hospital.

District Reproductive and Child Health Officer Pameeli NN described the incident as a “bad case” of maternal and child deaths.

“Our only priority was to save both lives. From the autorickshaw driver to the ambulance staff, doctors, nurses and support staff, everyone worked together. This collective effort made the difference,” said Dr. Pameeli.

Dr. Laxmy, Dr. Aneesa, Dr. Nishana, anesthetists Dr. Sreekanth and Dr. Fazil, pediatrician Dr. Mujeeb managed the procedure with the support of nursing officers Sudha, Sindhu P. Tom and Bini and anesthesia technicians Liyana and Shilpa.