Midwest Fetal Care CenterMidwest Fetal Care Center
Abbott Northwestern Hospital We're on the Abbott Northwestern Hospital campus in the Piper Building, which is on the corner of 10th Avenue South and East 26th Street. Valet parking is available directly in front of the building.
The only center of its kind in the Upper Midwest, the Midwest Fetal Care Center provides optimal care for those whose babies have potentially life-threatening conditions. Our program integrates the latest in technology with many hours of training in fetal surgery. Our specially trained care team assists you and your family at each step. Referrals and appointmentsTo make a referral or Patients must be referred by their primary care provider.
As a convenience to our patients and referring providers, all of our scheduling is done through one centralized scheduling department. 
Midwest Fetal Care Center is known for its team approach to care. Our specially trained care team includes ultrasonographers, nurses, neonatologists and care coordinators who assist you and your family at each step. DoctorsOur doctors are obstetrician / gynecologists (OB/GYNs) who specialize in maternal-fetal medicine and fetal surgery. 
Obstetrician / gynecologistsObstetrician / gynecologists -- OB/GYNs -- are doctors who specialize in the care of the female reproductive system.
Maternal and fetal medicine (high-risk pregnancy care)Maternal and fetal medicine involves the care of a mother and her baby during pregnancy, birth and delivery. During a high-risk pregnancy, our doctors can help a woman have the healthiest possible pregnancy and birth. Fetal therapy nursesA registered nurse is assigned to each family to help guide them through their high-risk pregnancy. Conditions we treatPatients must be referred to us by their primary care provider. For more information or to make a referral, call A collaborative program of Minnesota Perinatal Physicians, Pediatric Surgical Associates, Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the Midwest Fetal Care Center treats many conditions:
Fetal therapiesOur care for babies who have potentially life-threatening conditions includes these fetal therapies:
 William Block, MD, meets Gavin Joseph and Owen John Cassellius at age one. Dr. Block was one of two surgeons who performed fetal surgery on the boys to reverse twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. Read about the boys' birth. Twin-to-twin transfusion syndromeTwin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) occurs in 10 to 15 percent of identical twin fetuses who share the same placenta (monochorionic twins). An uneven flow of blood between the two babies through the common placenta causes one twin (the recipient) to get too much blood while the other twin (the donor) receives too little. TTTS puts both fetuses at risk. In fact, left untreated, the mortality rate for both twins is nearly 90 percent. Fetoscopic laser ablationFetoscopic laser ablation is the main treatment of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). This procedure increases the survival rate of one baby to 75 to 90 percent and both babies to 35 to 40 percent. During fetoscopic laser ablation, a tiny scope is inserted through the uterus to find the blood vessels connecting the two babies. A laser is then used to coagulate the shared vessels, thus allowing each baby its own circulation. Source: Minnesota Perinatal Physicians Reviewed by: William A. Block, MD First Published: 04/22/2009 Last Reviewed: 04/22/2009 |
