The joy you feel when you look at your newborn baby is indescribable, right? At the same time, there is a great responsibility in your heart for that little life. Sometimes it is normal to feel very scared and worried when you hear about some diseases that young children can suffer from. Today, we are talking about a serious heart disease that can occur in newborn babies, but is very rare, and requires immediate medical attention. This condition is called Interrupted Aortic Arch, or (IAA) for short.
Simply put, what is Interrupted Aortic Arch (IAA)?
To understand this, let's first take a look at how our heart works. Think of our heart as a water pump. This pump has four main chambers. Two on the top and two on the bottom. The blood, which has been used by the body and has low oxygen levels, which is a bit blue, enters the upper right chamber. From there, it goes to the lower chamber and is pumped to the lungs. In the lungs, this blood is well-oxygenated and takes on a beautiful red color.
Now this oxygenated red blood enters the upper left chamber of the heart. From there, it goes to the lower left chamber and is pumped throughout the body through the largest and most important blood vessel in our body, the aorta . This aorta is like the main pipe system that carries water from our water tank to the entire house. It is shaped like a candy cane.
So, what happens in a baby with a condition called Interrupted Aortic Arch (IAA) is that the main blood vessel, the aorta, is not complete. There is an obstruction somewhere in it, like a gap that is broken. Simply put, the main water pipe is broken in the middle. Because of this, no matter how hard the heart pumps, good oxygen-rich blood does not go to the lower parts of the body.
This is a very serious, life-threatening condition because if the body's organs don't get oxygen, they start to shut down. In medicine, we call this going into 'shock'.
How do you know if your baby has this condition? What are the symptoms?
Babies with IAA usually start showing symptoms within the first few hours or days after birth. As parents, it is very important for you to be aware of this.
| Symptom | A simple explanation |
|---|---|
| Reluctance to drink milk and fatigue | The baby may feel tired after sucking, may drink a little and then pass out, or may be sleepy all the time. |
| Rapid breathing | The baby may be panting and breathing faster than normal. This is because the heart is having to work harder. |
| Rapid heartbeat | When you put your hand on the baby's chest, you will feel that the heart is beating very fast. |
| Unusual weakness and drowsiness | The baby may feel lifeless, be constantly sleepy, and be difficult to wake up. |
| Skin discoloration | The baby's legs, feet, and lower body, especially because they are deprived of blood, may appear gray or blue. This difference can be seen when the hands and face are normally pink. |
If you notice one or more of these symptoms in your baby, you should immediately see a doctor or take your baby to the hospital's Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) without delay .
Why does this happen to babies?
When you hear something like this, the first question that comes to your mind as a parent is, "Why did this happen to our baby? Did we do something wrong?"
The first thing to remember is that this is not due to any fault of the parents . IAA is a genetic condition.
Simply put, this condition occurs when a baby is developing in the womb, due to the loss of a very small part of a chromosome that affects the formation of the heart and major blood vessels.
Often, babies with IAA can also have another genetic condition called DiGeorge syndrome . This is caused by a missing part of the same chromosome. Children with DiGeorge syndrome may have frequent infections and may have certain facial changes (such as a cleft lip).
Other heart defects that accompany IAA
Babies with IAA often have one or more other heart defects. One of the most common is a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).
- Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD): Simply put, this is a hole in the wall (septum) between the two main pumping chambers (ventricles) of the heart. Although this is usually a defect, a VSD can be a temporary lifesaver for a baby with IAA. Imagine that when blood can't flow down the aorta, some of the oxygenated blood on the left side of the aorta can flow through this hole to the right side, where it can flow to the lungs to provide some blood to the lower parts of the body. It's like having a small bypass when the main road is blocked. But this is only a temporary solution.
What are the diagnosis and treatment methods?
It is important to recognize and treat this condition as soon as possible.
Diagnosis
This condition is usually diagnosed with an Echocardiogram . We simply call it an 'Echo test'. This is like a scan of the heart. This painless test can clearly see the shape and function of the heart's chambers, valves, and blood vessels. Sometimes, this condition can even be diagnosed early with scans done while the baby is still in the womb.
Treatment
The treatment for IAA is surgery . However, until the baby is ready for surgery, doctors will do something else first to save the baby's life.
1. Step One - Keeping the Temporary Duct Open:
Every newborn baby has a temporary connection between the heart, the aorta, and the tube that carries blood to the lungs called the Ductus Arteriosus . This is very important while the baby is in the womb. This tube closes on its own within a few hours of birth.
But in a baby with IAA, because the aorta is torn, the only alternative route for oxygenated blood to flow down the body is through the Ductus Arteriosus. So the first thing the doctors do is give the baby a drug called Prostaglandin E1 , which keeps that temporary tube open without closing. This helps maintain blood supply to the baby's body until surgery.
2. Second step - Surgery:
Once the baby's condition is stable, specialist surgeons perform surgery. This involves:
- Taking the two broken ends of the aorta and connecting them together to create a complete, unobstructed blood vessel.
- Closing the temporary Ductus Arteriosus that had been opened by administering prostaglandin.
- If there is a VSD (a hole in the heart wall), it will also be closed during this surgery.
How will the baby feel after the surgery?
There is nothing more difficult for parents to bear than hearing that their newborn has a life-threatening illness. But from what we have discussed, you can see that this condition can be successfully managed with prompt medical attention.
The health of children after IAA surgery can be very good . According to statistics, even 10 years after the surgery, 81% of children are still alive. That means the success rate is very high.
But this is an emergency. As soon as symptoms are noticed, the baby should be admitted to a hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) and treatment should begin immediately. Even after surgery, it is essential to continue taking the baby to the clinic and having the necessary tests done, as the doctors advise.
Take-Home Message
- Interrupted Aortic Arch (IAA) is a ruptured aortic arch in a newborn baby. This is a very serious but extremely rare condition.
- This is caused by a genetic cause, not by any negligence on the part of the parents during pregnancy.
- If you notice symptoms such as difficulty breastfeeding, rapid breathing, excessive sleepiness, and graying of the skin, seek medical advice immediately .
- This condition can be successfully treated with early diagnosis and surgery, allowing the child to live a healthy life.
- If you have any concerns about your baby's health, don't ignore them as a minor issue. Always talk to your doctor .
💬 අදහස් (0)
තවමත් කිසිදු අදහසක් පළ කර නොමැත. ඔබේ අදහස පළමු වරට මෙහි එක් කරන්න.
ඔබේ අදහස එක් කරන්න