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Hemoglobin Bart’s Hydrops Fetalis Syndrome

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Summary

Bart’s hydrops fetalis is a common disease in people of Southeast Asian origin. With the increasing migration of these populations to other parts of the world, it is important for all those involved in the care of obstetric population to be familiar with the management of such cases. One must pay particular attention to the blood indices available on the complete blood counts that are performed routinely in all obstetric cases. Choices must be made available to at-risk pregnancies. Timely termination of affected pregnancies would reduce the perinatal mortality and maternal morbidity associated with Bart’s hydrops fetalis. Affected pregnancies that progresses to the third trimester may be associated with maternal complications such as preeclampsia-like disease, anemia, and postpartum hemorrhage. With further research into in utero therapy, bone marrow transplantation, stem cell transplant, and gene therapy, in the future, fetuses with Bart’s hydrops may survive with a good outcome.

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Thomas, E., Yeo, G.S., Tan, T.Y. (2004). Hemoglobin Bart’s Hydrops Fetalis Syndrome. In: Datta, S., Hepner, D.L. (eds) Anesthetic and Obstetric Management of High-Risk Pregnancy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21572-7_17

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