Jimu news reporter Liu Xun
Correspondents Lu Hui, Yu Yu, Song Meng
Chenchen (pseudonym), a 3-year-old boy from Gansu Province, was tortured by heart failure to the point of being inhuman, skinny and difficult to catch his breath, and the only way out was a heart transplant. His family took him across thousands of miles to Wuhan Asian Heart Hospital, waiting to let go, and only 3 days later waited for a life-saving heart from Guangxi.
After many levels, the little guy stubbornly survived, and the heart restarted and beat vigorously inside him. On February 20, Chenchen's mother told Jimu News that seeing the long-lost smile on the child's face, the family felt that there was hope for life again.
On the eve of discharge, Chen Chen took a happy group photo with the medical staff
A 3-year-old boy is dying of heart failure
Chen Chen is 3 years old and 9 months this year, his family is in Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, and he is the heart of the family from a lively and active age. 2 years ago, this family suddenly suffered bad luck, Chen Chen fell ill every three to five years, did not love activities, a little activity will be chest tightness, rapid breathing.
His mother took him to the hospital for examination and found that there was a heart problem. The doctor said that Chenchen's heart was getting bigger and slowly failing, and he was immediately diagnosed with dilated heart disease, and he could only survive a heart transplant.
Chen Chen's illness stung the hearts of the whole family. Chenchen's mother told jimu news reporters that her first child died at the age of 2 due to endocardial elastic fibrosis hyperplasia, and then became pregnant and had an unexpected miscarriage, and now it is easy to have Chenchen, and the family can't bear to face this cruel reality.
Considering the high cost of treatment, the family decided to let Chenchen take medication first, but the child's condition progressed too quickly. Mom said that Chen Chen threw up as soon as she ate, watching him lose weight day by day, and then he couldn't get out of bed, and his bones were as thin as wood, which was heart-wrenching. At the end of last year, under the introduction of the local hospital, the mother rushed to Wuhan from Jiuquan with Chenchen, hoping to give it a go and continue the child's life.
At Wuhan Asian Heart Hospital, Chenchen's situation surprised medical staff. Due to Chen Chen's bedridden for 8 months, muscle atrophy, severe malnutrition, weight of less than 10 kilograms, thin only skin and bones, when he came to the hospital, he was in a state of cardiogenic shock, unable to breathe spontaneously, and cardiac arrest may occur at any time.
Chen Chen was severely malnourished and skinny
Small body replaced with high-horsepower "engine"
The examination found that Chenchen's heart condition was also very bad, severely expanding to twice that of an adult's heart, occupying almost the entire chest cavity, and his left lung was severely squeezed. Due to the weakness of heart contraction and the ability to pump blood, this means that Chenchen has developed to terminal heart failure, and also has many problems such as severe pulmonary hypertension, respiratory infections, impaired liver function, coagulation disorders, etc., and his life is in danger.
"Let's find the source of the heart as soon as possible!" Tao Liang, president of Wuhan Asian Heart Hospital and expert in cardiac surgery, said. After strict review by the ethics committee, Chen Chen began to wait for the heart donor. Mom confessed that every day is an inner torment. Fortunately, on the third day, the news came that the donor was 14 years old and had been matched to the right source.
Tao Liang introduced that there are fewer heart donors for young children, the "life-saving heart" of this 14-year-old donor is larger than Chenchen, and the donor-recipient weight ratio reaches 5:1, but Chenchen's situation is very critical, the expert team after repeated discussion and deduction, after comprehensive assessment, it is believed that it can be put into the chest cavity, even if there is a high degree of difficulty and risk, the transplant team still decided to take a risk.
On December 25 last year, the operation was officially launched, escorted by experts in anesthesia, cardiopulmonary bypass, ultrasound, and cardiac surgery. When the donor successfully arrived at the hospital, the surgical team had established a good cardiopulmonary circulation for Chenchen, Tao Liang took out the diseased heart, and then transplanted the precise pruning donor into Chenchen's body, and anastomated the blood vessels in turn, as if embroidering on the egg. At 17:40 on the same day, this "life-saving heart" restarted and beat vigorously.
In the ICU ward, medical staff closely monitor chen chen for 24 hours
Tenaciously survived 50 days to usher in rebirth
After the operation, Chen Chen also faced obstacles such as infection, malnutrition, and rejection. In the intensive care unit, Chenchen's inflammatory indicators are high, and it is also combined with right heart failure, liver and kidney failure, malnutrition, and even right ventricular bulging, and pulmonary artery pressure soaring, Tao Liang and Professor Liu Yan, director of the Department of Cardiopulmonary Bypass, decided after evaluation, that the right ventricular assist device that was immediately improved was gradually restored to the function of Chenchen's right heart.
How to make children stand up is also a big problem. ChenChen because of long-term bedridden, the muscle strength of the legs is very bad, it is difficult to lift off the bed, the hospital rehabilitation team customized a personalized rehabilitation program, starting from the very beginning of passive activities to prevent blood clots, until the condition is stable and then carry out limb training, experts bend down to cover Chenchen's ass, with him a little bit of muscle strength. The gratifying thing is that ChenChen obediently cooperates, from the previous head can not be lifted, now not only can sit and play, stand on the bed, but also walk on the legs under the support, Chenchen's mother said that the child has been sick for so long, she saw a smile on his face for the first time.
The rehabilitator instructed Chen Chen to do rehabilitation training
Chen Chen's weight increased to 13.2 kilograms, and there was flesh on her face
The medical staff brought snacks to Chenchen
Xiao Hongyan, director of the heart transplant ward of the hospital, said that the child will continue immunomodulatory treatment in the future, and medical staff will return to visit for a long time. Considering his family's financial reasons, the hospital provided another 50,000 yuan in funding to solve the urgent need.
On February 10, Chen Chen was discharged from the hospital and went home, holding the hand of the medical staff, and said in a milky voice: "I can go to school!" The mother on the side secretly wiped her tears and thanked the medical staff for giving the child a second life.
It is reported that Chenchen has set a new record for the minimum age for heart transplant surgery in Wuhan Asian Heart Hospital.
The family presented a pennant to thank the medical staff