Turin, born with an intestine instead of a lung. Child operated, also survives liver transplant and Covid

by time news

“The first thing we’re going to do is take her to the park.” It is the moving story of dad Adrian who saw his little Daria Maria, just 17 months old, undergo a delicate surgery, the Covid it’s a transplant of liver. The baby was born with the intestine in the place of a lung. Operated a Torino, the little one is safe.

“Since she was born she has never left the hospital. Now we will show her the sun, the trees, the leaves ”, continues the father. “A miraculous story of rebirth”, they say to the City of Health in the Piedmontese capital.

The story of Daria Maria begins in Romania, where the doctors, during an ultrasound in the twentieth week of gestation, had discovered the presence of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a very rare malformation. In practice, due to a hole in the diaphragm, the baby’s intestine slipped into the chest, compromising the normal development of the lungs.

Daria Maria was born at the Sant’Anna hospital in Turin in November 2019. After a few days, the hernia correction surgery, carried out by the director of pediatric surgery of the Regina Margherita children’s hospital, seemed to have resolved the situation. But soon other problems arose.

“In general – explain the health professionals – the post-operative course leads to a progressive recovery of the cardiopulmonary function. But for this newborn, things turned out to be much more complex ”.

The wait for a liver and Covid

Over the weeks the baby developed cholestatic liver disease with abnormal enlargement of the liver and, therefore, a compressive effect on the chest. A transplant was needed. In the past months, waiting for the suitable organ, Covid has also been put in the wrong direction.

“It was a hard year – recalls Adrian, who is 37 years old and worked as a television operator in his country – also because because of the virus my wife and I, Elena, could not be together with her at the same time”.

In November 2020, with the coronavirus now “brilliantly overcome”, the news arrived from the Regional Transplant Coordination – directed by Antonio Amoroso: the liver, coming from a donor returning from Covid, is available.

Liver transplant

The transplant is performed in Molinette by Renato Romagnoli. The following treatments are dealt with by the specialists in Anesthesia and Intensive Care 2 and, again at Regina Margherita, in pediatric resuscitation and gastroenterology. It still takes months, but eventually the lungs regularly grow into their natural position.

“My daughter was strong – says Adrian – and I want to thank the donor’s family who allowed this miracle, all the doctors who followed her, Professor Renato Romagnoli who performed the transplant. Now what we want is that he can know the world ”.

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