Vasa Previa

I came across this great video that was taken after a birth of twins. The video is of a placenta with vasa previa, and a nurse explaining what you are looking at. Pretty interesting (and graphic)!

Vasa previa is a rarely (1:2500) reported condition in which fetal blood vessel(s) from the placenta or umbilical cord crosses the entrance to the birth canal, beneath the baby. The condition has a high fetal mortality rate (50-95%). This can be attributed to rapid fetal exsanguination resulting from the vessels tearing when the cervix dilates, membranes rupture or if the vessels become pinched off as they are compressed between the baby and the walls of the birth canal.

For more information, check out vasaprevia.com.