In September 2025, Ms. Li (a pseudonym), a pregnant woman with type III von Willebrand disease, safely gave birth to a healthy baby under the continuous care of a multidisciplinary team at Union Hospital. She recovered smoothly and was discharged from the hospital shortly after.
Ms. Li was diagnosed with the extremely rare type III von Willebrand disease, one of the most severe hereditary bleeding disorders, which renders pregnancy and childbirth extremely high-risk. A multidisciplinary team comprising specialists from hematology, obstetrics and gynecology, genetic counseling, and transfusion medicine formulated a full-cycle management plan featuring precision medication and minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment for her. During the medically indicated amniocentesis in the second trimester of pregnancy, the team pioneered the use of the world's first recombinant von Willebrand factor (rVWF). Through a precise 3-minute infusion, the maternal coagulation factor levels were rapidly brought up to the required standard. In the third trimester, the obstetrics team collaborated once again with specialists from hematology, transfusion medicine, intensive care, and neonatology to develop a surgical plan for an elective cesarean section for Ms. Li after 37 weeks of gestation. Meticulous and comprehensive arrangements were made for every step, from the adequate preoperative infusion of rVWF and the selection of anesthesia methods, to the precise surgical operation and postoperative management. The cesarean section was performed with minimal blood loss, and a newborn weighing 2850 g was delivered safely, with an Apgar scores of 9 to 10. Tests on the cord blood and neonatal plasma indicated normal coagulation function of the baby. Ms. Li was discharged from the hospital on the 8th day after the surgery.
"This is a revolutionary breakthrough in treatment, one that grants every life the right to choose," said Professor Hu Yu, Chairman of the Hematology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and a specialist from the Department of Hematology at Union Hospital. Professor Zou Li from the Department of Obstetrics cautioned that women with von Willebrand disease must undergo coagulation factor activity testing and genetic testing under medical guidance before preparing for pregnancy. This is to clarify their own carrier status and the potential genetic risks to the fetus, thus enabling scientific pregnancy preparation.
The successful treatment of this case marks a major breakthrough in the hospital’s management of pregnancy complicated by rare diseases and the practice of precision medicine. It also demonstrates the hospital’s strengths in the management of high-risk pregnant and lying-in women, the diagnosis and treatment of complex and rare diseases, and multidisciplinary collaboration, as well as in the implementation of the full-cycle management model covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.
Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5MzQ0MzI5Nw==&mid=2650871240&idx=3&sn=88e52061ff45646f576f350a03babc13&scene=21&poc_token=HCk1cGmj00lFbRau01Zrs55v8DZHNX_1uYARNbJc
Edited by: Obstetrics & Gynecology Dept., International Exchange Office
