Doctors in Oklahoma are hoping to save the life of an 8-month-old boy by giving him a cord blood transplant. Miles DeShaw was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition that has the potential to dramatically shorten his lifespan.
Miles was still in the womb when the doctors diagnosed his heart condition. As his mother Christina DeShaw explained: “Unfortunately, we got the news that he was also going to have hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which was very devastating having been through this once before with our daughter, Ava.”
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare birth defect that affects the way blood travels through the heart. The left side of a baby’s heart does not form correctly while they are still in the womb.
The family’s paediatrician consulted Doctor Harold Burkhart, one of the country’s leading surgeons, to see if there was a procedure that could be performed on Miles.
Dr. Burkhart suggested using stem cells in conjunction with surgeries to repair the heart tissue. The procedure would involve umbilical cord blood stem cells being injected directly into the baby’s heart. The stem cells would help the heart heal and correctly form the left ventricle.
Dr. Burkhart explains how cutting edge this treatment option was, saying: “It’s a big deal, because there have not been any studies like this in the world to where you inject cells in the muscle of a baby with congenital heart disease in hopes that will make that muscle stronger.”
Three surgeries are usually required to complete the procedure — Miles has just successfully completed his second surgery. His condition was so good that he was even allowed to go him with the family to celebrate Christmas! Miles will have his last surgery early in 2017.
Source: 8-month-old boy has lifesaving heart surgery in Oklahoma
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