[Umbilical cord rupture and vasa previa: a report of a case]

Vasa previa is a rare condition, frequently lethal, in which fetal blood vessels coming from the placenta or the umbilical cord cross the entrance of the childbirth channel before presentation. The abnormal blood vessels are result of a velamentous cord insertion or a placental alteration. It happens in 1:3000 births, with a high perinatal mortality. A 16 years-old primigest patient, at 34.6 week of gestation, was admitted to the labor, which has a good evolution, without any complication. A male new born was obtained without hearth rate or vitality, Apgar scale 0-0, weight 2800 grams, who presented an umbilical cord rupture 3 centimeters from its abdominal insertion, no where the fetal blood vessels are unprotected. It is necessary an adequate prenatal care, diagnosis and accurate management, to avoid the mortality by this rare clinical entity.