HEALTH COACH - Jimmy Kimmel's newborn son has a heart defect: here's how he is treated - heart disease

HEALTH COACH -

 Jimmy Kimmel's newborn son has a heart defect: here's how he is treated - heart disease   
 


 Jimmy Kimmel's newborn son underwent an urgent open heart surgery just days after birth, the late night host revealed Monday in a monologue  Jimmy Kimmel Live . 

 William "Billy" Kimmel was only about three hours when a nurse noticed that he had a heart murmur and looked slightly discolored, Kimmel said. The doctors quickly determined that he had a congenital defect, called Fallot's tetralogy with a pulmonary atresia, which prevented his lungs from getting enough oxygen. 


 Kimmel assured his audience that the story had a happy ending, but the comedian wrestled through tears by telling the harassing tale and shared a photo of his son hanging on wires and machines. "He went over there with a scalpel and did some sort of magic that I could not even begin to explain," he said on his son's cardiac surgeon at Children's Hospital Los Angeles . "These are the three hours of my life the longest." 
 Surgery has been a success, Kimmel said, but his son will need another procedure in a few months, and a third as a teenager. Fortunately, the prognosis for most patients with Fallot tetralogy is very good. Here are some things to know about this commonly common patient, and how it is treated in infants just a few days. 
 RELATED: WATCH: Jimmy Kimmel reveals with tearing the newborn Son Billy underwent open heart surgery  

  Approximately 1% of babies are born with congenital heart defects  
 Structural problems with the heart, known as congenital heart disease, occur in just under 1% of babies. Among babies born with heart problems, about 10% have a Fallot tetralogy, the most common reason for cardiac surgery shortly after birth. About 20% of these babies have the most severe form of the disease, Fallot's tetralogy with pulmonary atresia. 
 "Overall, the incidence of this specific diagnosis is somewhere less than 1 in 10,000," says Mary Donofrio, MD, Fetal Heart Program Director of the National Child Health System at Washington, DC Donofrio is not involved in Baby Kimmel's busy, but she treated babies with the same condition. 
 While genetics can sometimes play a role, most cases of congenital heart defects, including most cases of Fallot's tetralogy, are unexplained. 
  Fallot's tetralogy is four defects in one  
 The disease whose son of Kimmel was diagnosed is named for the doctor who described it for the first time (Fallot) and the four ("tetra") different defects that it implies: All First, there is a hole between the two lower ventricles or chambers, of the heart. Second, the pulmonary valve or arteries are narrowed or blocked, which prevents the blood from reaching the lungs. Thirdly, the aorta (the large artery that carries blood away from the heart) is slightly irrelevant. 
 The fourth defect is called hypertrophy, which means that the heart becomes thicker and more muscular as it has to work harder to pump blood. This complication is generally not observed in the US, however, because the other three problems are resolved before the fourth can occur. 
 Most babies are diagnosed with a Fallot tetralogy in the hospital shortly after birth either because they have bluish discoloration or because their blood oxygen level (As illustrated by a pulse oximeter device) is low. "We really try not to have a child being released after birth without a diagnosis, because some of these children could be very sick once they are at home," says Joseph Rossano, MD, executive director of The Cardiac Center of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. (Dr. Rossano is not involved in the care of Baby Kimmel.) 
 When a baby is also diagnosed with pulmonary atresia, this means that the blood flow to the lungs is totally blocked rather than partially obstructed. "This is the most severe form, and the baby will be blue," says Dr. Donofrio. "In this case, the problem must be solved right away, right after birth." 



  Success rates of surgery are excellent, even in newborns  
 The heart of a person is about the size of his fist, says Dr. Rossano, so just think about the size of a baby's hands to appreciate the work of 39 A pediatric cardiac surgeon. "There are some very technical challenges, but in quality centers around the world, the vast majority of children survive this procedure and have excellent results," he said. 
 Cardiac surgery in infants often involves smaller instruments and materials, says Dr. Donofrio, and doctors use special glasses that magnify tiny childhood organs and blood vessels. In addition to surgeons, an integrated care team is also needed to meet the unique needs of newborns, many of whom are already sick. 
 For a baby with Fallot's tetralogy, "the surgeon closes the hole in the wall of the heart, just like you would patch a patch on a pair of pants," says Dr. Donofrio. "Sometimes the fabric is actually used to seal it." 
  Several procedures are usually required  
 Depending on the severity of the condition of a child, other procedures may be needed as it ages. Larger surgeries are often delayed until a child has a few months and their heart is taller and stronger. 
 If artificial valves or connectors are used in these surgeries, they will likely need to be replaced at least once more. "Unfortunately, these materials do not grow with the rest of the heart," says Dr. Donofrio. "Let 's hope that someday we will develop materials that will grow and develop over time. 
 This is one of the reasons why Dr. Rossano opposes to say that surgery can "cure" congenital heart defects. "We can certainly treat it, and many patients are living with these conditions and are doing very well," he said. "But they need long-term care." 
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  Most babies grow up happy and healthy  
 Even when infants are exploited shortly after birth, most are discharged from the hospital within a week or two, Dr. Donofrio says. They will need follow-up appointments at least once a year and should be monitored closely for physical and developmental complications. (Neurological problems are sometimes related to surgeries at very young ages.) 
 But in general, says Dr. Donofrio, children with this disease - and their parents - have a lot of optimism. "They can go around, they can go to school, they can be athletes," she said. "This is something that we often see, and with advances in modern medicine and surgery, this is something we can take care of." 
 Dr. Rossano agrees that patients with congenital heart disease may grow quite normally. "I do not want parents to think their child will be so fragile that they have to live in a bubble," he said. "Our goal is to ensure that these children live an active and healthy life."