A 22 hours age, baby Toby Dring became Britain’s youngest open heart surgery patient. He had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and had to be given the life-saving operation when his health deteriorated dramatically at birth. Toby’s condition affects one in 5,000 babies and occurs when the left side of the heart fails to form properly.
Now, just 10 weeks after the 12-hour procedure, Toby has returned home. His mother Sophie, 25, said, “He’s my little fighter. It’s great if he’s one of the world’s youngest but, to me, records don’t matter too much. What’s more important is that he’s here – and he’s alive.” Nursery nurse Sophie was first told something was wrong after her 20-week scan.
Sophie said, “To say I was beside myself is an understatement. The doctor said I had three choices: terminate the pregnancy, do nothing and watch him die, or have him and watch him go through all the surgery. I was in floods of tears. After talking it through with my mum and dad, Jackie and Mark, I decided I would never be able to live with myself if I didn’t have him.”
Toby was induced at 39 weeks on September 8, weighing 7lb 1oz. But after Toby's health rapidly deteriorated, consultant surgeon Asif Hasan prepared him for surgery within hours of his arrival at the hospital. Sophie saw him for 15 minutes before he was taken for the heart operation at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. She said, “I was very scared. But from the first time I went to the heart unit I knew we were in safe hands. Still, it was quite distressing to see him covered in so many wires when he was brought out of theatre and stabilized. There were so many machines attached to him.”
Incredibly, just weeks after surgery, Toby was well enough to go home to Whitby, North Yorks. Sophie said, “He’s a little monkey now. To look at him you’d never know he had gone through such a traumatic start in life. Only when you lift up his top and see his chest scar do you realize that he’s had such a big operation.” She added, “I never thought I’d be able to hold him in my arms and cuddle him but here I am and it’s all down to the Freeman Hospital. I can’t thank the staff there enough.”
A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals said, “The policy of our cardiologists is always to give families open and honest about the options available to them as well as the risks and chances of survival in order that they can make an informed choice. For unborn babies with conditions like Toby's there are three options for parents to consider, only one of which is termination. Our consultants are very clear that the choice lies with the parents and we are there to support their decision. Where patients decide to opt for surgery we then refer them to the appropriate centre.”
Toby will need at least two more procedures, one possibly before Christmas to have a cardiac catheter fitted and another when he begins walking. Before Toby, the youngest person in Britain to have open heart surgery was Rudy Maxwell-Jones at 36 hours old at Birmingham Children’s Hospital in July.
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