Monash Children’s Hospital surgeons have performed a “medical miracle”, saving the life of nine-month-old Gippsland boy Vincent (Vinnie) with a rare congenital defect.
As Reported by 10 News First Melbourne, Mum Briony noticed Vinnie was struggling to breathe and was rapidly losing weight.
“He was acting like he was hungry, but yet wouldn’t eat,” said Briony.
After being seen urgently at Monash Children’s Hospital, Vinnie was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) and had emergency surgery the next day.
CDH is a rare condition and is often identified in utero. The diaphragm does not fully close, leaving a hole that allows intestinal organs to push into the chest cavity. The hernia can stop a baby’s lungs from developing properly, and for many, the condition is fatal.
Surgeons at Monash Children’s Hospital operated for approximately 6 hours to fix Vinnie’s hernia, using keyhole surgery.
“Overall, it is about a 50% survival if it’s detected antenatally, it’s a very serious condition that has a lot of problems associated with it,” said surgeon Associate Professor Ram Nataraja.
“It is the best reward to see a happy smiley baby at the end of this.”
Vinnie’s mum says he is like a different baby after surgery, after living with this condition for nine-months.
We are so happy to see Baby Vinnie has bounced back so quickly and returning home with a big smile.