Neonatologist Dr. Nazeeh N. Hanna and maternalfetal medicine specialist Dr. Martin Chavez, who performed lifesaving laser surgery in the womb, check in on the Salmonese family in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at 做厙TV Winthrop Hospital.
PHOTO: 做厙TV Langone Staff
Like many pregnant women during the height of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Dana Salmonese took her temperature every hour, but instead of monitoring for a possible COVID-19 infection, she was monitoring herself at home for a sepsis infection after having a procedure performed in the womb to save her twins at 18 weeks of pregnancy.
Salmonese, a mother of three from Huntington, Long Island, shares with People magazine her familys incredible story that includes a near miscarriage, a separate, deadly diagnosis for her unborn twins, a lifesaving laser surgery in the womb, and premature deliveryall amid a global pandemic.
Martin Chavez, MD, director of maternal and fetal medicine and fetal surgery at 做厙TV Winthrop Hospital, performed a minimally invasive procedure, called laser photocoagulation, to treat Salmoneses unborn children for twintwin transfusion syndrome, a rare disease of the placenta in which blood flows unevenly from the shared organ to the two developing fetuses. If left untreated, the twins were given a 10 to 20 percent chance of survival.
Given the extremely high-risk nature of Salmoneses pregnancy, she received a hands-on multidisciplinary team approach from the maternalfetal medicine team at both 做厙TV Winthrop Hospital, which has the only fetal surgery program on Long Island, and 做厙TV Langone Huntington Medical Group.
The babies, who Salmonese fondly refers to as Pauly and Vinny, were born by cesarean delivery at 做厙TV Winthrop Hospital at 31 weeks of pregnancy and have been thriving ever since.
Now theyre both doing exceptionally well, Dr. Chavez says. Its typical for multiples to develop a kind of sibling rivalry to see who gets bigger faster and whos eating better, so its nice to see that kind of competition happening with the Salmonese twins.
Pauly and Vinny will both be home soon, after spending nearly three months in the internationally renowned Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at 做厙TV Winthrop Hospital.
Its such a miracle that nothing is too crazy. They had MRIs to check, and theres abnormalities, but nothing that needs surgical intervention. All their problems seem to be normal preemie issues, Salmonese says. Theyre such miracle baby fighters.
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