18 MONTH OLD PABLO FIGHTS FOR LIFE AS HE UNDERGOES HEART OPS

News

Sally Bengtsson / 2010-01-31 07:06:42

Pablo's fight for life

Pablo Klingseis Ortega is 18 months old. This smiling and jolly little boy is a real survivor, and his cheerful manner has helped him through the long list of operations and hospital stays he has experienced throughout his short life.

Pablo was born without a problem. His entrance into the world was swift, taking the doctors by surprise. He was born in half an hour, without his mother even being given the chance for an epidural. A series of lucky coincidences seem to have kept Pablo alive since then. At the time of his birth it was a new idea in Spain to get the mothers to hold their babies close to their bodies when they were born, instead of putting them into a cot. Pablo’s mother Cati chose to do this, and doctors now say that this kept him alive that first night of life.

They didn’t realise there was a problem with the little boy until the following morning, when, as soon as they separated him form his mother he had trouble breathing. Fortunately, in another lucky coincidence, the paediatrician on duty at the time was also a heart specialist, and he immediately realised that Pablo’s problem was not a respiratory one, but a heart problem. Pablo was born at 6.30pm, they realised he had a problem by 11.30am the following day, and 24 hours after his birth he was rushed to La Arrixaca Hospital in Murcia.

Because Pablo could only breathe when close to his mother, the doctors taped him to Cati and wrapped a blanket around the pair, as they set off in the ambulance. This was the first time this method had been used in Spain to keep a baby alive, and the nurses in the hospital still remember Cati as the mum who came in with her baby taped on to her.

Upon arrival at La Arrixaca Pablo underwent a whole series of tests. He was covered in cables in the Intensive Care Unit for 6 days before he had the main operation. Fortunately Pablo was born a good weight, 4 kilos, which gave him a higher success rate for this risky operation. Pablo was born with Transpostion of the Great Vessels, which means his heart is the wrong way round or transposed.

The operation lasted 10 hours. It was a very delicate procedure, in which his chest had to be opened, the veins going to his chest had to be cut and attached to the opposite side, while at the same time the doctors kept his body functioning. It was a success. However, despite the fact that Pablo was kept in the Intensive Care Unit with all the best medical care, the wound became infected, and he had to undergo another operation 16 days later, in which the doctors cut away the infected flesh and resewed the wound.

He gradually recovered and was moved to a children’s ward a few days later. On the 22nd August, five weeks after Pablo was born, Cati and Stefan were allowed to take him home. Cati had literally lived in the hospital for those first five weeks, so going home seemed like a dream come true, despite the fact that they had 11 different medicines to give their little boy, some of which had to be taken three times a day.

Things didn’t go smoothly though. Two weeks later Pablo was once again rushed to La Arrixaca Hospital as he couldn’t eat anything. Whatever he ate he sicked up again. This is all related to his illness, which affects the organs in the centre of his body. The doctors told Cati and Stefan to keep him vertical all the time, as when he lay flat he vomited. This was a terrible time for the parents, as Cati could hardly sleep, she had to hold him upright all the time. They devised a hammock in which he could sleep vertically, but someone had to keep an eye on him at all times.

This carried on for two weeks, until the doctors decided to put a feeding tube through Pablo’s nose. This was a huge improvement, and Pablo gradually began to gain weight and actually become a little plump. The feeding tube was attached to a pump, which meant he constantly received milk into his stomach, so even though he was still being sick he managed to gain weight.

Another problem Pablo had was that he got a urine infection, which kept recurring. He also was diagnosed with an irregular heart beat, however, when he was taken off the diuretic medicine this problem disappeared within a week.

Just over six months ago the feeding tube was removed. This made a huge difference and Pablo now appears like a normal boy of 18 months. However, his main problem is that his lungs only receive 30% of the blood they should. This means he gets tired very quickly and sleeps a lot more than most children. The reason for this is that when they changed the arteries to his heart in his first operation, the one going to the lungs wasn’t long enough, which has resulted in the artery becoming stretched and narrow.

A painful procedure was tried, in which a balloon was inserted into the artery with a tiny cable, which they introduced into his body through the main artery in his groin. The balloon was inflated once in the right place. The operation wasn’t successful though.

The only option now is to open up Pablo’s chest again and add a piece of artery made from a graft, to make the tube longer. The operation is very high risk, with a 50% survival rate, but as Cati says, if he doesn’t have the op his survival rate is zero, as his heart won’t survive the added work it is having to do, as it is forced to work four times harder than a normal heart. To carry out the operation the doctors have to sort of freeze his body so the organs go into very slow motion, while they work on his heart.

Cati and Stefan are understandably very worried, but have decided that if they operation is going to be carried out they want the best doctors to do it. The doctors in Murcia have told them that they would be better off going to Madrid, where the surgeons have more experience and carry out this kind of procedure on a more regular basis.

They have visited the surgeon in Madrid, and are now in the procedure of sending him all the necessary paperwork and doctors reports, with the hope that the operation will take place within the next six weeks.
Since Pablo has been born his mother has been unable to work. His dad Stefan has been a chef at Alejandro’s restaurant in La Zenia for the last ten years, where he is held in high esteem. Alejandro’s girlfriend Landis has decided to hold a fund raising day on Saturday 13th February at 2pm, to raise some money for the newly opened Baby Pablo Appeal.

After the operation Pablo will have to stay in hospital for a minimum of 6 weeks, during which time the family will have huge travel expenses.

The fundraising event looks to be a fantastic day, with raffles and some fantastic prizes, a buffet, cakes, stalls selling handmade jewellery and second hand goods, there will be face painting, balloon making and entertainment from “It Takes Two”. Anyone who would like to help is more than welcome to do so.

Anyone who would like to donate money to the Baby Pablo Appeal can do so through the Caja Murcia Account 2043 0428 3190 0700 0460. If sending money from abroad, put ES93 in front of the account number. The appeal has already received a donation of 1,000 pounds from a regular customer who lives in the UK.

Anyone who would like further information or who would like to hold a fundraising event themselves can phone Landis on 676720192 or Monique on 617537866.

Pablo is a resilient little boy and his huge spirit, which has kept him alive so far, looks set to ensure this little boy grows into a young man. The operation will have to be repeated every two or three years, as his body grows, but should mean he will be able to lead a pretty normal life, although he probably won’t be a sportsperson.

We wish him all the best and will keep readers updated with his progress.