Most expectant moms dream of holding their child after months of anticipation. But for this mom, that dream nearly didn’t come true when the primary vein connecting to her coronary heart ruptured and he or she nearly misplaced her personal life, in addition to her child’s.
When, in February, Danielle Gaither from Charlotte, North Carolina, was 39 weeks pregnant, she developed intense chest pains and was rushed to the hospital.
Danielle, who has Marfan syndrome, which impacts the physique’s connective tissue, had suffered an aortic dissection—the massive blood vessel in her coronary heart had torn, affecting an important blood line to her organs, in addition to to her unborn baby. Both their lives have been in jeopardy.
Doctors needed to act swiftly. They determined to carry out two operations concurrently: open-heart surgical procedure and a Cesarean part.
According to Dr. Jeko Madjarov, the principal cardiothoracic surgeon coping with Danielle, her odds have been very slim, and he or she had lower than a 1 % probability of survival.
“Danielle’s body was shutting down, and we knew we had to work together to save two lives. The gold standard of treating aortic dissection is circulatory arrest, which is a surgical technique that stops blood circulation,” Dr. Madjarov instructed Daily Mail Online.
With almost 20 docs helping, the operations took six hours to finish.
Afterward, Danielle spent 111 days recovering in a specialised unit. Four months after the large operations, docs gave the nod for her to see and maintain her lovely child boy, named KV, after his father. Danielle wept with pleasure and reduction.
Dr. Madjarov added: “These surgeries are conventionally performed separately, but we knew there wasn’t enough time. We were also confident that we were going to be successful. So, four teams worked together to save two lives.”
Dr. Joseph T. McGinn, who oversaw the guts surgical procedure that day stated, “What amazes me is how our teams worked so well together.”
Danielle, who was born with Marfan syndrome, was conscious of her situation, in addition to the dangers concerned in being pregnant. She was already a mom of 4 youngsters.
Danielle’s OBGYN, Dr. Heather Bane, stated that it won’t have labored out in Danielle’s favor had she not lived so near the hospital.
“I’m glad that I’m here and I thank Dr. Madjarov and the team, along with God, for saving my life,” Danielle stated.