What was meant to be a relaxing vacation turned into a professional adventure for a gynecologist from Hyderabad Dr Sayli Shelke, who had traveled to Nanded to visit a close friend who is also a gynecologist and assisted her friend in critical emergency surgery. The chain of events started one evening when she went to Nanded Railway Station to pick up her best friend, who is also a gynecologist. After greeting her friend, the group headed to a restaurant to unwind, chat, and enjoy dinner.

Just as they were settling in, the doctor Shama Korpenwar received an urgent call from her hospital. A nine-month-pregnant patient with ruptured membranes (water breaking) had arrived in labour, and it was a critical emergency. Without a second thought, the doctor and her husband, who is an anesthesiologist, left their meal behind and rushed to Loha, a town 30 km away. They reached the hospital in just 30 minutes, during which time the hospital staff had been closely monitoring the baby’s heart rate and the patient's condition.

Upon examination, the doctor discovered that the patient's cervix was only 1 cm dilated, while the amniotic fluid had already drained away. The situation was dire, as the baby’s life was at risk. The doctor explained to the family that a normal delivery could take up to 12 hours, and without the amniotic fluid, the baby could suffocate in the womb. She recommended an emergency C-section, and the family agreed.

Team saves the mother and baby

With her husband assisting as the anesthesiologist and her best friend, the gynecologist Sayli Shelke, by her side, the team quickly prepared for the surgery. What they found during the procedure surprised them: the patient had an arcuate uterus and a succenturiate placenta, meaning the placenta was abnormally shaped and positioned at opposite ends of the uterus. This condition can lead to severe blood loss during childbirth.

To prevent complications, the doctors performed bilateral uterine artery ligation and administered uterotonics to control postpartum hemorrhage (excessive bleeding). If the patient had attempted a vaginal delivery, there was a significant risk of uterine rupture, which could have led to severe complications for both mother and baby.

In the end, the emergency C-section was successful, and both the patient and baby are doing well. What started as a relaxing visit with friends turned into an adrenaline-filled, life-saving mission for the doctor and her team.

Friends since class 9

While speaking to the Free Press Journal about the successful delivery, Dr. Shama said, "From being tuition mates in 9th grade, to studying together in the same junior college with the same dream of achieving something big in life, to getting into the same MBBS college... and now operating together as gynecologists—even though it was supposed to be a vacation—we've come a long way."

Both Dr. Shama and Dr. Sayli have been friends since class 9, having attended the same junior college and BJ Medical College for their MBBS. Afterward, they pursued their master's degrees at different institutions—Dr. Shama completed hers at Government Medical College in Dhule, while Dr. Sayli pursued hers at Yashoda Hospital in Hyderabad.