Medical marvel: Six-day-old baby's life saved with heart transplant at a US hospital

For representational purposes only

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: In a medical marvel, the life of a six-day old premature baby born with a heart defect was saved when doctors transplanted a heart in a ten hours surgery.

Born to Caylyn Otto and her husband Christopher Crawford, the baby has been nicknamed Oliver Hope.

Baby Oliver was diaganosed with the problem after his mother Chris Crawford underwent a prenatal exam at 20 weeks which showed a defect in the tiny baby's heart, called dilated cardiomyopathy.

Baby Oliver Crawford underwent the operation at Phoenix Children's Hospital in Arizona after being born seven weeks ahead of schedule with a heart defect which meant her parents didn't expect him to survive.

It was confirmed four weeks later. "The left ventricle was huge for a 24-week-old," pediatric cardiologist Dr Christopher Lindblade told the Arizona Republic, adding: "It was massive."

"The doctors had very little hope that he would survive the pregnancy, and when our water broke at 33 weeks, we were prepared to deliver a still born baby," said Caylyn, the infant's mother yesterday.

"But he came out fighting," she added in a statement released by the hospital.

Doctors planned for a birth at 36 weeks, but Otto went into labor at 33 weeks.

Within hours of the birth the baby was screened to see if he was healthy enough for a heart transplant. He was put on a national transplant waiting list on January 9, and two days later a viable heart became available.

The operation lasted for 10 hours, after which he had an incision from his belly to his chest.

"From our understanding Oliver is the youngest recipient in the nation. He received his transplant at 34 weeks and 3 days gestation," said his mother.

The baby is recovering in hospital after being born on January 5.

(With Agency inputs)