Baby boy with heart defect gets new lease of life through surgery

A baby boy born with a heart defect received lifesaving surgery at the Maboneng Heart and Lung Institute at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital – thanks to medical teamwork spanning the private and public sectors.

“Soon after Dante was born at the end of January this year, we noticed there was something wrong. He was very difficult to settle; he cried and cried and he wasn’t gaining strength and weight as he should have,” his mother, Jennifer van der Heever, recalls.

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So began a harrowing journey for Dante’s family, struggling to make ends meet while their baby son was examined by specialists at Mankweng Hospital and Polokwane Hospital, and he was admitted for two weeks in the intensive care unit at Tshilidzini Hospital.

Eventually, the family returned to their home in Makhado with the news that Dante had a serious heart problem and would need an operation to save his life.

Baby has to wait for help

“Dante barely slept, we knew he struggled with his heart. He couldn’t even drink properly and then he would be out of breath and sweating.

“We sat day and night awake with him in our arms. It was tough; even now, it is very emotional to think back on that time,” said Jennifer.

Dante was put on a waiting list to have the operation at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, but the earliest date available was 6 July.

“At our next check-up, however, the doctors found that the situation was even more urgent.

“One part of his heart was doing all the work, blood wasn’t going to his lower body and organs, and they said Dante’s heart could stop at any second – there was a real danger that Dante wouldn’t make it to July.”

In a race against time, Dante’s doctors started looking for other ways to help him get the operation sooner, turning to the Netcare Foundation and the Maboneng Foundation, which coordinates funding and specialist services to help paediatric patients in the public sector who require lifesaving heart procedures.

Solution is found for baby

“Dante’s condition was extremely serious and we knew we had to find a way to help,” said cardiothoracic surgeon and cofounder of the Maboneng Heart and Lung Institute Dr Erich Schurmann, who led the medical team that donated their time and expertise pro bono to assist Dante at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital.

“Newborn babies’ hearts work a little differently to ours, as there is an artery called the ductus arteriosus that naturally closes soon after birth.

“Then, the descending thoracic aorta fully takes over the function of perfusing the infant’s abdominal organs and legs with oxygenated blood.

“In Dante’s case, there was a narrowing in a section of this artery in a condition known as coarctation of the aorta, which is more common in males. The condition accounts for approximately 5% of all congenital heart defects with a reported prevalence of about 4 per 10 000 live births,” said Schurmann. Netcare’s general manager of emergency, trauma, transplant and CSI Mande Toubkin, a director of Netcare’s corporate social investment arm, the Netcare Foundation, said there is an overwhelming need for time-sensitive paediatric heart operations, which require highly specialised skills and health care resources.

“Given the extreme urgency of Dante’s heart lesion and following a successful application to the Netcare Foundation, Dante was booked for surgery on 4 April, three months earlier than originally scheduled.”

Jennifer remembers the day the family received the good news: “When my husband told me, I didn’t believe him until we had to send copies of our IDs and all Dante’s hospital letters and referrals, then I started to realise what was really happening. It felt like a dream come true,” Dante’s mother recalls.

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The procedure is done

Jennifer spent the first night in hospital with Dante before the procedure.

The specialised operation was performed by cardiothoracic surgeons Schurmann and Dr Martin Myburgh of the Maboneng Heart and Lung Institute, paediatric cardiologist Dr Janine Meares, who practices at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital, and anaesthetist Dr Krishnee Naidoo, who donated their time and expertise to help Dante pro bono.

Dante made a rapid recovery in the specialised paediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit after the procedure and was discharged from the hospital just three days later.

“Dante is just a blessing. He is a wonderful, beautiful and healthy baby. Dante is a busy boy and has been much more active and smiling since having his procedure.

“He loves to be the centre of attention and enjoys kisses. He’s six months old and has gained weight since the operation. He has a future now,” said his mother.

“The staff at the hospital, the nurses and the doctors were professional, compassionate and went out of their way to assist us. It was an emotional time for our family, and it meant so much to us that they welcomed us with open arms.”

Toubkin said it is reported that one in every 100 children is born with a significant heart defect.

“Working together with specialists and non-profit organisations like the Maboneng Foundation, which coordinates funding for surgeries, we are honoured that the Netcare Foundation and our partners at Maboneng Foundation were able to assist Dante among our projects for this year,” said Toubkin.

• For more information about the Maboneng Foundation, which coordinates sponsorship of the procedures, or to make a donation, please visit www.mabonengfoundation.co.za.

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