For the first time in Bangladesh, doctors at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in Dhaka have successfully performed an intrauterine fetal blood transfusion on an unborn baby. The complex procedure was completed last Tuesday at the hospital’s specialized maternal and fetal medicine unit. It was carried out to save the life of a fetus suffering from severe anemia caused by blood group incompatibility, with blood safely transfused into the umbilical vessel under ultrasound guidance.

The medical team was led by Dr. Khondoker Shehnila Tasmin, head of the Feto-Maternal Medicine Unit, with support from senior professors across obstetrics, pediatrics, anesthesiology, hematology, and transfusion medicine departments. Hospital authorities said this success will enable pregnant women with similar complications to receive advanced treatment at public hospitals in the future.

According to the doctors, intrauterine transfusion is a highly advanced procedure that can significantly reduce fetal death risk and extend pregnancy duration when performed timely. The hospital plans to further expand prenatal diagnostic and treatment services to ensure the highest quality care for mothers and unborn children.