The Women’s Health Center High Risk Obstetrics program, led by Dr. George Mussalli, is responding to pregnancies that pose difficult challenges. The goals of the program are clear—to do whatever is medically necessary to deliver a healthy baby. In complicated pregnancies, caesarean sections often become the surgical method used in the delivery process. Dr. Andrzej Riess and Dr. Jonathan Marder are highly experienced obstetricians and specialists in performing this procedure.

Approximately 60 percent of deliveries at BronxCare are classified as high risk. Many are pregnant women with gestational diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, and numerous other medical conditions that can complicate a pregnancy. Teen pregnancies are among the most difficult. As a result, young mothers and their babies are at an even higher risk for a multitude of medical problems, including premature births, fetal growth retardation, and sexually transmitted diseases. The Women’s Health Center, through its Adolescent and Family Planning programs, is continuing to help teenagers understand these difficult issues.

The Advanced Obstetric Ultrasound Unit and Maternal Fetal Medicine Division provide Obstetricians with a detailed fetal anatomy, which enables congenital malformations and other potential problems to be visualized and diagnosed. As a result, the appropriate management and necessary actions can then be immediately put into place.