Early detection for congenital heart defects makes for a great beginning
24th Nov 2005, 01:44 GMT
A little over a year ago our newborn son, Devon, was diagnosed with co-arctation of the aorta, a congenital heart defect. At 9 weeks we (because no parent has a child in surgery without undergoing it with him) underwent surgery at Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado. The surgeons cut through his ribs and scapula to snip away the upper portion of his deformed aorta and attach it to a lower, wider aortic section and then inserted a stint for added stability. The total procedure took roughly four hours and we spent about four days in the hospital. Devon was lucky in that we have an excellent doctor who detected the heart murmer, an early symptom, at 4 weeks, and also that he had such a repairable cardiac malady. We have been told that this is the defect to get if you are going to get one because it is nearly 100% fixable. Devon is now almost 15 months and developing just fine. He has deformed heart valves that may need to be replaced at some point, but he will lead a healthy and normal life thanks to his early detection. Read Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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