Kochi: Sunrise Hospital in Kakkanad achieved a global milestone in the field of gynecological treatment, as a baby girl, resembling an angel, winked and smiled in the hands of Thrissur natives Reshma and Sreejith. Sunrise Hospital became a part of history following the successful completion of a complex surgery that safely preserved the fetus of Reshma, who had arrived at the hospital with a scar pregnancy. Along with this achievement, Dr. Hafeez Rahman, founder of Sunrise Hospitals, world-renowned laparoscopic surgeon, and gynecologist; co-gynecologists Dr. Shemini Saleem and Dr. Sonia Farhan; and Senior Consultant Anesthesiologist Dr. P.G. Shaji became the true claimants of this historic feat.
History began unfolding when Reshma and her husband Sreejith approached Dr. Hafeez Rahman at Sunrise Hospital, Kakkanad, to undergo an abortion due to a scar pregnancy—a condition where the fetus grows on the scar of a previous C-section. In 2022, their first pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage. Subsequently, she became pregnant and delivered in 2023, but the baby passed away. Although she conceived again in 2024, an abortion had to be performed due to a scar pregnancy. In 2025, Reshma became pregnant for the fourth time while in Dubai. This too was diagnosed as a scar pregnancy, and it was realized that there was no alternative other than an abortion. Due to legal restrictions regarding abortion in Dubai, Reshma reached Dr. Hafeez Rahman based on the advice of the doctors there. They had also advised her that, in some scenarios, the uterus itself might need to be removed.
Dr. Hafeez stated that abortion is the standard line of treatment usually adopted in cases of scar pregnancy. However, Reshma and her family members’ emotional state and their dream of having a child deeply moved his mind. Dr. Rahman mentioned that upon reviewing the scanning report, his extensive years of experience helped him find new treatment possibilities in pregnancy care, and the couple was willing to try the new possibilities. For this purpose, highly complex laparoscopic surgeries, which had never been attempted by anyone in the world before, were performed. Dr. Hafeez stated in a press conference organized at the hospital that with this becoming a success, hope can be given to the lives of many couples facing this condition. In the eighth week of pregnancy, an advanced laparoscopic surgery called Pregnant Uterine Metroplasty was performed, followed by a Laparoscopic Cervical Encirclage surgery in the twelfth week to strengthen the cervix.
During the final phase of the pregnancy, an MRI scan revealed an extremely complex condition known as Placenta Accreta Spectrum, where the placenta grows deeply into the uterine wall. Subsequently, to prevent severe bleeding that could occur during delivery, specific blood vessels were ligated (Bilateral Internal Iliac Artery Ligation), urinary bladder damages were rectified, and the Caesarean section was successfully completed, making the uterus entirely safe(Fertility-Preserving). Dr. Hafeez added that both the mother and the baby discharged from the hospital in perfect health. Reshma and Sreejith said that they had reached Sunrise Hospital having lost all hope, and the support provided by Dr. Hafeez and other staff members was immense.
