News

Woman and baby saved by team of 17 health care workers

Jun 06, 2022

Yanchep mother Emmily Fuller and her newborn son, Wilder, are lucky to be alive.

On 24 May 2022 when Emmily was 36 weeks pregnant, she started experiencing gastro like symptoms at home, which soon developed into acute pain in her lower abdomen.

Emmily asked her husband Tim to call an ambulance, inevitably the best decision of her life.

Unbeknown to Emmily, she had a ruptured uterus and her abdomen was filling with blood.

St John paramedics, who were quick at the scene and fast to identify the seriousness of the problem, rushed Emmily to Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) where a multi-disciplinary emergency obstetrics team of 15 were waiting.

Having just tested positive for COVID-19 on a rapid antigen test, Emmily was rushed into an isolation room where her vital signs were taken and an ultrasound of the baby was performed.

Within a few minutes, the baby’s heart rate dropped and Emmily’s body started going into shock due to severe blood loss.

Emmily was rushed to theatre where the baby was delivered under general anaesthetic, her uterus sutured and her abdomen drained of 2.5 litres of blood, which is about half an adult’s overall blood composition.

JHC consultant obstetrician, Dr Arvind Menon, who was leading the emergency obstetrics team on the day said it was the quick action of health workers that saved Emmily and baby Wilder.

“In another 30 minutes without intervention, Wilder’s life would have either been lost or severely compromised because of the extreme blood loss, which was restricting his oxygen intake,” Dr Menon said.

“Fortunately, we were able to get Wilder out in time and he is healthy and well.”

Emmily’s own life was also in jeopardy from the sheer blood loss. After surgery Emmily was taken to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit where she was given three units of blood and an iron transfusion.

Baby Wilder was cared for in the Special Care Nursery before being reunited with his mum 48 hours later.

Dr Menon said it was terrific team work and JHC should be proud.

“Everyone involved - from the St John Ambulance paramedics at the start to the emergency consultant and nurses, the midwives and obstetrics team, the anaesthetics and theatre staff, the paediatricians, the intensivists, the neonatologists and infection control all played a critical role,” he said. “Someone was watching over Emmily that day.”

Emmily could not thank Joondalup Health Campus enough for saving her and her son’s life.

“I feel so lucky that we made the call in the first place, but also for the incredible care and management I got as soon as I arrived,” she said.

I knew something wasn’t right and I felt heard by the clinical staff, who were really listening and responding to everything I was saying.

“I am also so grateful for my husband and family’s incredible support,” Emmily said.

Some of the staff involved (L-R): St John Paramedic Charlene Bezuidenhout, ED Clinical Nurse Specialist Jessica Hathaway, ED Consultant Dr Priyesh Sura, Midwife Lisa Riley, Obstetrician Dr Arvind Menon, Graduate Perioperative Nurse Sonia Francis and Consultant Paediatrician Dr Gareth Kameron. Front (L-R): Tim Fuller with son Xander and Emmily Fuller with baby Wilder.