A British baby who appeared headed toward fatal heart failure has found hope through an innovative medical device designed specifically for pediatric patients. Macs Green, who suffered two sudden cardiac arrests and was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, is now sustained by a Berlin Heart while awaiting a heart transplant.
The infant's condition deteriorated so rapidly that medical staff at Bristol Royal Children's Hospital placed him on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine. Physicians advised his parents, Dylan and Catrin, to prepare for an end-of-life scenario as conventional treatments proved insufficient.
The Berlin Heart represents the sole ventricular assist device available for infants and children experiencing severe heart failure. This mechanical pump utilizes air pressure to circulate blood throughout the body, effectively assuming the function of a failing heart until a donor organ becomes available.
Manufactured in the German capital from which it takes its name, the device has revolutionized pediatric cardiology since its introduction. The technology exists in two configurations: INCOR, which supports left ventricular blood flow, and EXCOR, which provides complete cardiac support. The first European patient received a Berlin Heart in 1990, followed by the first American recipient in 2000.
By 2014, medical teams had fitted 1,500 Berlin Hearts to pediatric patients worldwide. The device has proven remarkably durable, with one toddler setting a record in 2012 by living with the EXCOR model for two and a half years.
For Macs, who is the third son of Dylan and Catrin, the transformation following the Berlin Heart implantation has been dramatic. Dylan described how the device has allowed doctors to discontinue the sedative medications that had kept his son in a subdued state. The father noted that Macs has become a completely different baby since the procedure, now smiling and responding to his parents rather than lying motionless in a hospital bed.
Catrin described the experience as having their baby back, observing that Macs was absolutely thriving with the mechanical support system.
The timeline for receiving a donor heart remains uncertain. Macs may wait years before a suitable organ becomes available, though the Berlin Heart's track record suggests the device can sustain him throughout an extended waiting period.
Dilated cardiomyopathy, the condition afflicting Macs, causes the heart muscle to stretch and thin, reducing its ability to pump blood effectively. The disease can progress to complete heart failure, making mechanical assistance or transplantation necessary for survival.