Brain-Dead Woman Kept Alive To Deliver Her Baby

A catastrophic hemorrhage took Karla Perez's life, yet she was kept on life support for the remainder of her pregnancy at 54 days.

Her new baby, Angel, was just delivered weighing in at 2 pounds and 16 ounces at 22 weeks, according to the Methodist Health System. Health advocates have noted that this is the first of its kind in the United States since 1999.

"At 22 weeks, the baby can't survive outside the uterus or outside of the womb, so if we were going to try and give baby Angel any chance of survival, we would have to try and prolong Karla's pregnancy for as long as possible," Todd Lovgren, a doctor at Methodist Women's Hospital Perinatal Center, said at a Wednesday news conference, according to The Washington Post. "Karla's family asked us to try and prolong Karla's life and try to maintain her as long as possible for Angel's benefit." 

"Our team took a giant leap of faith," added Sue Korth, vice president and COO of Methodist Women's Hospital, said in a statement Thursday announcing the successful procedure. "We were attempting something that not many before us have been able to do."

Perez collapsed in her home in Waterloo, Nebraska, on February 8 after complaining of severe headaches. Doctors later determined she had suffered a brain bleed, according to NBC News.

It was the initial goal of the doctors to keep Perez alive till 32 weeks. However, her condition deteriorated and Angel was delivered on April 4.

"We are cautiously optimistic," said neonatologist Dr. Brady Kerr, detailing that Angel was in an incubator and feeding through a tube, according to the hospital as of Thursday.