Kimmel son’s hole-in-heart condition is most severe
The hole-in-the-heart problem that plagues comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s newborn son is one of the most common heart-related birth defects and can usually be fixed with surgery.
Some people live with the condition for several years before it is detected although the Kimmel baby’s is the most severe form and was noticed just a few hours after his birth in Los Angeles on April 21.
On his show on Monday night, the comedian tearfully described the emergency operation needed after his son, William John, was found to have tetralogy of Fallot.
Tetralogy means four, a cluster of that many defects. The main one is a hole, or opening, in the wall separating the two sides of the heart. In a normal heart, the right side pumps oxygendepleted, or blue blood from other parts of the body to the lungs to get more oxygen. The left side then pumps this oxygen-rich, red blood to the rest of the body.
These types of blood should stay separated, but a hole in the heart wall lets them mix, so some blood without enough oxygen winds up getting pumped out into the body.
This can be complicated by a second problem William has — pulmonary atresia, a severely blocked heart valve, which prevents enough blood from reaching the lungs.
Usually the cause isn’t known, although it is more common in children with certain conditions, such as Down syndrome.
In some cases, genes may play a role. Or it may just be a fluke, the result of abnormal development in the womb.
Kimmel said the operation was to open the blocked valve so there would be better blood flow. It’s not known what else was done to address the other problems. Billy went home six days later and was “doing great,” his father said.
The baby will need a second operation within six months to fix the hole. Doctors often place a patch to close the opening, although there are a couple of other possible solutions.
“They are getting him bigger until he can do a more comprehensive repair,” said Dr. Peace Madueme, a pediatric cardiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, who is not involved in the Kimmel case.
Kimmel said his son would need a third operation in his teens.
“That usually is a pulmonary valve replacement,” which sometimes can be done through blood vessels rather than in an openheart operation, Madueme said.
“Lifestyle-wise, kids with tetralogy do really well — normal daily activities.” Madueme said.