Andrew McAskie was only five weeks old when he had a life-saving heart transplant operation at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
He had suffered a heart attack on the day he was born and was kept alive on a machine until a donor heart was found. Andrew's parents have thanked the German family who donated the heart after the death of their baby and the medical staff at the hospital in Newcastle. Andrew is now a year old and has been at home for several months. He is among the youngest transplant recipients in the UK and the youngest patient to receive a new heart at the Freeman Hospital. Twenty years ago, the hospital made history when five-month-old Kaylee Davidson, from Washington, Tyne and Wear, became the first baby to undergo a heart transplant.
When Andrew was born on December 30 last year weighing 8lb 1oz he appeared healthy. But later that day it was discovered his heart was not pumping properly. Over the next few weeks Andrew's heart stopped twice and he also had heart and kidney failure and suffered a stroke. Once the donor heart became available, doctors only had a four-hour window to transport the heart to Newcastle and carry out the operation.
Consultant paediatric cardiologist Richard Kirk said Andrew was now doing fantastically well.
"We are absolutely delighted with Andrew and he has now been home with his parents for several months. Without the transplant Andrew wouldn't have left the hospital. He would have been dead within weeks." Andrew will have to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of his life to stop his body rejecting the heart and in 12 years' time he could need another transplant.
Dr Kirk said the Freeman Hospital was one of two centres in the country carrying out heart transplants in children - the other being Great Ormond Street Hospital. There are 177 patients under the age of 18 currently on the transplant list in the UK and 12 of those are waiting for a heart.
December 2007
Back To Our Main News Section
Look At Other News Snippets Here | 
Teenage Pregnancy Targets Missed
