My baby`s special heart

We need help. Time passes over Horia.

Horia has a special heart. Horia must be operated urgently.

On the 5th day of his life he is diagnosed in a specialist consultation in the cardiac department of Marie Curie Hospital with congenital heart malformation - Septal Ventricular Defect.

Horia's pregnancy was followed 4 weeks after conception, going through all the necessary ultrasounds and morphologies. The shock was great because the gynecologist who watched the pregnancy did not see this malformation into the consultations. Horia did not eat in a normal way, he was tired extremely fast, slept a lot, did not get weight properly.

Interventricular septal defect (VSD) is a congenital malformation that consists of an opening in the interventricular septum, creating an abnormal communication between the two heart ventricles.

The patient with an VSD has an orifice that allows the blood to pass from the left ventricle to the right ventricle (because the pressure in the right ventricle is much lower than the left ventricular pressure by 25-30%). This leads to overload of the pulmonary circulation and of the atrium and left ventricle, but also to the decrease in the amount of blood sent into the systemic circulation. These changes lead over time, if the large interventricular defect has not been corrected, to irreversible changes especially in the pulmonary circulation.

Considering that Horia has a large DSV, the amount of blood that is pumped to the lungs is much higher than normal. This involves an increased effort that the right ventricle puts on to pump the extra blood.

Large or medium VSD, surgically untreated in a timely manner, lead to irreversible changes in pulmonary circulation with increased pressure at this level, reversal of the aortic's direction and the appearance of cyanosis (Eisenmenger syndrome).

Now, at nearly 6 months of life, Horia has a slow evolution, weighs slowly (born at 3000 g, currently weighs 6000 grams), eats a special hyperproteic milk (Neocate LCP) and has medication (Furosemid , Captopril, Spironolactone). Horia is not allowed to get sick or make fever. Any change in his health may have serious consequences for his life.

We were consulting three different cardiologists. They all told us that Horia will have to operate because its VSD has a big size and can not shut itself off. We have been hang over for any hope of not getting to surgery. Unfortunately, Horia needs urgent surgery to have a normal life.

As a parent, you want everything that is best for your own child. In these 6 months since Horia is with us we have learned to live with the idea that Horia is special, has a different heart and needs help. It's hard to live by knowing that every second can enter the cardio-respiratory stop.

We need help. Any help counts. Any help means life. A normal life for Horia.

We thank all who will choose to be with Horia in his struggle for a normal life.