Ex Utero Intrapartum Treatment (EXIT procedure)
“The EXIT procedure is an important strategy in the management of prenatally diagnosed congenital malformations. EXIT procedures offer the advantage of ensuring uteroplacental gas exchange while on placental support. The EXIT procedure helps enable surgeons to transform a potentially fatal neonatal emergency into a controlled environment to ensure a better outcome. Since 2004, the Fetal Care Center has performed more than 71 EXIT procedures.
During the EXIT procedure, the goals are to:
- Achieve a state of uterine hypotonia to maintain the uteroplacental circulation using deep general anesthesia
- Preserve uterine volume to prevent placental abruption
- Reach a deep plane of maternal anesthesia but maintain normal maternal blood pressure
- Achieve a surgical level of fetal anesthesia without cardiac depression”