Cardiff Parents Plead for Bed for 3-Month-Old Needing Berlin Heart as Days Run Out
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22
Cardiff Parents Plead for Bed for 3-Month-Old Needing Berlin Heart as Days Run Out
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22
Summary
Three-month-old Macs is in an induced coma in Bristol after two cardiac arrests, and his parents say he may have only days left without transfer for a Berlin heart.
Dilated cardiomyopathy has left him dependent on a machine pumping his heart, but no bed is available at the UK’s two specialist centers that can fit the device—Great Ormond Street or Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.
Dylan and Catrin Green say their son has been stuck in the Bristol unit for weeks as his condition worsened, despite a treatment they believe could keep him alive until a donor heart is found.
NHS Wales said funding for highly specialized care is available, but capacity is managed across the UK and access depends on clinical assessment.
NHS Blood and Transplant figures show fewer than five patients in Wales and England are currently using a Berlin heart, while only 2% of deceased UK organ donors are under 18.