Mother’s Condition Calls for Surgery : Septuplets to Be Born This Morning, Doctors Decide

Caesarean surgery has been scheduled for this morning at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange to deliver Patti Frustaci’s septuplets after their prospective mother’s condition deteriorated from “good” to “fair” Monday, hospital officials said.

A hospital spokeswoman said Frustaci’s doctor would not elaborate on the change in the patient’s condition, but she said surgery for the 30-year-old English teacher from Riverside will begin between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. A team of 36 doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists will be on hand for the births.

Until Monday, Frustaci had been in good condition, signifying that her vital signs were stable, she was comfortable and her general health “indicators” were excellent, said hospital spokeswoman Valerie Orleans. Fair condition means Frustaci’s vital signs are stable but she is experiencing some discomfort and her indicators are “favorable.”

In 29th Week

Frustaci began her 29th week of pregnancy Monday. An uncomplicated pregnancy normally lasts 40 weeks.

She was given fertility drugs at a Los Angeles clinic three months before she conceived the seven babies and has been hospitalized since March 25 in order to closely monitor her condition and prolong the pregnancy.

Her obstetrician, Martin Feldman of Orange, had hoped to prolong the pregnancy through her 28th week. The babies’ chances for survival increase substantially after the 28th week, he said in an interview last week.

Orleans said the latest ultrasound test showed all seven fetuses are alive. It is estimated that they weigh between one and two pounds each, she said.

Feldman will perform the Caesarean section delivery and care for the mother, and each baby will be attended to by a neonatalogist, a doctor who specializes in the care of premature and critically ill newborns, hospital spokesmen said. In addition, a nurse and a respiratory therapist will be on hand for each baby, they said.

A Through G

The babies will be transferred to Childrens Hospital of Orange County, which adjoins St. Joseph, Orleans said. The babies have been pre-admitted under the names Frustaci, A through G, and delivery equipment--including incubators, catheters and monitors--has been color- and letter-coded for identification.

“There’s seven of everything,” Orleans said.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest recorded multiple birth was nine babies in Sydney, Australia, in 1971. Six survived. In the case of septuplets, there is no birth on record where all have survived, Orleans said.

Frustaci grew up in Fullerton and Orange and attended El Modena High School. She and her husband, Samuel, an industrial salesman, have a year-old son.