A baby boy born in Alaska with a life-threatening defect has received a heart transplant in Seattle, without a minute to spare.
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Afterwards, the heart transplant continued in the absence of any significant complications, the baby receiving his life-saving organ as planned.
He required a series of surgeries to keep his tiny heart going though it was located in the wrong place in his body.
CBS News reports that Lincoln Seay from Alaska, in the U.S. was suffering from Heterotaxy syndrome; a heart defect that causes organs to develop on the opposite side of the body.
“We’re hoping Lincoln’s story gets people talking about it”, Mindy stated.
Dr. Michael McMullen, Lincoln’s transplant surgeon at Seattle Children’s Hospital, said he thought the baby boy did not have much time left as he had been getting much sicker.
Mindy said that the rapid thinking and instant step brought Baby Lincoln back to life within time for the successful heart transplant.
They were able to quickly put him on the heart bypass machine that was set up for the transplant.
Lincoln hasn’t yet been discharged from hospital and will more than likely have to be administered immunosuppressive medication meant to stop his body from rejecting his new heart for as long as he lives. During the first 12 hours of his life, doctors had to perform an emergency surgery to save his life.
However, even though Lincoln was subjected to multiple surgeries, the doctors told his parents that the infant’s heart isn’t working properly and that Lincoln’s only chance of survival was a heart transplant. The surgery was supposed to fix the problem, but eventually his heart began to fail.
“Because of his size, it had to be a young child”, McMullan said.
Rob Seay hopes other families will learn about organ donation and take it under consideration, particularly before they are in the middle of a crisis. The proportion is far higher in western states, including Washington, where the rate is about 80 percent.
Due to privacy laws, no information was released about the heart donor or that child’s family. “I will treasure that heart more than I’ve ever treasured any gift”, Mindy writes in a blog, per the Times. I will care for that gift to the very best of my ability and will be sure we always give reverence and respect to the child and family from which it came.
Most parents who’ve lost children take comfort in knowing the organs have helped another child live, said Kevin O’ Connor, LifeCenter’s president and chief executive.
The good news came, but Lincoln’s health was still pretty delicate.
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Doctors say Lincoln will face some challenges as he recovers, but is expected to be OK. Aside from a shortage of donor organs in general, it’s especially hard to find a heart for an infant, McMullan, the surgical director, told the Seattle Times. According to doctors, if all goes well, the donot heart would continue to grow as Lincoln ages and would last for 20 years or more.
