On May 10, 2022, Maja from Grudziądz was born, whose story touched the hearts of Internet users. Still pregnant, it turned out that the girl had a congenital heart defect – her left ventricle had not developed. The only salvation for her survival is a complicated and expensive operation to be performed by doctors from a German clinic. The money for the procedure was collected by Maja’s parents, among others by means of an online fundraiser.
- Maja was born with half a heart. The defect was detected during prenatal ultrasound in her mother’s 21st week of pregnancy
- Her chance of survival is a three-stage, complicated and high-risk surgery correcting the defect
- Maja and her mother are currently in the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Surgery of Congenital Heart Defects at the Universitätsklinikum in Münster. He will undergo his first operation there. The next treatment is planned in about half a year
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
The heart defect was detected during prenatal examination
– We’ve been trying to have a baby for a long time. It was our greatest dream. Finally, we lived to see the day when a miracle happened. Our hearts were filled with joy and happiness. Unfortunately, not for long. At the 21st week of pregnancy during the examination USG II trimester we heard that Maja’s heart is not built as it should – says Justyna, the mother of the girl, who described the story of her daughter’s diagnosis on the SiePomaga portal, where a fundraiser for Maja’s treatment was available.
After further tests, the diagnosis was unfortunately confirmed: critical heart defect HLHS – left heart underdevelopment syndrome – ventricles, valves, aorta. The girl was to be born with half her heart.
During her pregnancy, Maja was safe, her fight for her life was to begin after the delivery. This took place on May 10 at the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Surgery of Congenital Heart Defects Universitätsklinikum in Münster, Germany. This is also where the first newborn’s heart surgery is to take place, which will be performed by a team led by prof. Edward Malec, a pediatric cardiac surgeon.
It was very important that the delivery took place in the same hospital where the operation would be performed. After her birth, Maja was immediately taken to the incubator and is under constant medical supervision. Fortunately, the heart echo performed immediately after dissolution showed no other defects. Now the girl will undergo the first surgery to correct the heart defect. Another one is waiting for her in 4-6 months.
The rest of the article is available under the video.
What is HLHS?
Heart defect, with which Maja was born, is very rare – it occurs in less than 0,05 percent. live born newborns. HLHS (the hypoplastic left heart syndrome) is a syndrome of the underdevelopment of the left side of the heart, the one that pumps blood to the aorta.
«In such a heart, the mitral valve that separates the left atrium from the left ventricle is narrowed or obstructed. The aortic valve through which blood is pumped from the left ventricle into the aorta is narrowed or obstructed. The left ventricle is very small. Additionally, the initial section of the aorta (ascending aorta) and the aortic arch are very narrow, sometimes reaching only a few millimeters »- reports the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University.
The left heart hypoplasia syndrome cannot be curedhowever, surgery to correct the defect may increase the comfort of life for a patient born with HLHS. There are three such treatments as standard. The first takes place right after birth, the second around six months of age, and the third between 18 and 24 months of age. Meanwhile, minor diagnostic procedures such as cardiac catheterization are performed.
Such treatment is very expensive. In the case of Maja alone the first operation costs PLN 90 euro. Maja’s parents collected the money for the procedure, among others thanks to the online collection, organized by the Foundation for Children with Heart Defects “Cor Infantis”, to which the girl is under care.
The echo of the heart (also called echocardiography of the heart, ultrasound of the heart or ultrasound) is an imaging test that checks the functioning of an organ using ultrasound waves. You can make an appointment with in the network of POLMED medical facilities. You can buy the survey at an attractive price in Medonet Market.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to epigenetics. What is? How can we influence our genes? Do our elderly grandparents give us a chance for a long and healthy life? What is trauma inheritance and is it possible to somehow oppose this phenomenon? Listen: