ASABA/(News Investigators) /A housewife in Asaba, Delta State, Chukwunonso Onyejekwe, has died after she was delivered of a set of quintuplets.
Head, Clinical Services and Training, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, Emmanuel Ezunu, who confirmed the death, Tuesday said Mrs. Onyejekwe, 29, died of complications 15-hours after delivery.
Mr. Ezunu told the News Agency of Nigeria that the deceased suffered acute respiratory failure and died after a successful Cesarean Session (CS) delivery.
Agency report said late Mrs. Onyejekwe was delivered of a set of five female babies.
“The woman in question was brought to the FMC, on the 28th of January 2019, un-booked; that is to say, she was not a registered patient here,” the report added.
“Also, when she came, we noticed that her blood pressure was so high and the condition put her in a high risk for a normal delivery.
“So, we recommended a caesarean session for safe delivery and she was moved to the theatre for an emergency CS,” he said.
According to the medical officer, the woman never knew she was carrying a set of five babies.
He said late Mrs. Onyejekwe told the hospital that the last scan she had revealed she was carrying a set of triplets.
Mr. Ezunu said that doctors in the hospital successfully delivered the woman of a set of quintuplets at about 9 p.m. same day.
“We delivered the woman of a set of quintuplets, but moments after the delivery she developed respiratory failure.
“We had to rush her to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where doctors and nurses battled unsuccessfully to stabilise her deteriorating condition.
“Unfortunately, the woman gave up at about noon the next day,” he narrated.
Also speaking, Oyefara Babatunde, the Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the hospital, corroborated Mr Ezunu’s position on the unfortunate incident.
Mr Babatunde, whose department handled the emergency delivery, disclosed that the babies were 31 weeks old upon delivery.
He said after the delivery the woman twice suffered cardiac arrest in a space of thirty minutes while at the ICU.
“After delivery, the woman developed a respiratory problem known as Pulmonary Throb Embolism (PTE).
“It is a complication that has to do with difficulty in breathing. We tried to stabilise her and while we were battling with that she fell into cardiac arrest.
“We were able to resuscitate her but moments later she fell into a second cardiac arrest. The complications were multiple; they were also occasioned by her high-risk quintuplet pregnancy.
“Pulmonary Throb Embolism is a condition of abnormal blood clot formed in the lower limbs and released massively into the lungs.
“It is so unfortunate that the woman died because after the successful delivery of five babies, the whole hospital was jubilating.
“But our joy and jubilation was turned into sadness and cries. It is really a sad incident.
“However, the five babies are currently under intensive care at the hospital and I can inform you that they are doing fine, “he said. (NAN)
