Katherine Bligard, MD, MA, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Associate Director of the Fetal Care Center, co-authored a major clinical trial published in JAMA on treating anhydramnios caused by fetal kidney failure. WashU Medicine served as one of 13 fetal therapy centers nationwide participating in the Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy (RAFT) trial.
The study evaluated serial amnioinfusions, a procedure that replaces amniotic fluid to support lung development in fetuses with kidney failure. Researchers found that nearly two-thirds of live-born infants survived at least 14 days with dialysis access in place, a critical milestone that had previously been considered unachievable for this diagnosis. Nearly half of infants survived to hospital discharge, and several have since undergone kidney transplants.
The findings offer hope and new information for counseling families facing this once-uniformly fatal diagnosis. They also mark a significant step forward in fetal therapy research, with WashU Medicine playing a direct role in generating the evidence.