Diaphragm of pig skin saves life of Eve, 2
A LITTLE girl born without a diaphragm has become the first person in Britain to have one built by medics using pig skin.
Eve Phillipson, two, had endured two failed operations to rebuild the layer of muscle separating the lungs and the stomach when surgeons made a third and final attempt.
They performed a five-hour procedure using Eve’s abdominal wall muscles which they manoeuvred into place and pig skin was then used to reinforce the underlying weakness in her abdominal wall.
Complex
The operation in January has proved a success although the toddler remains on a ventilator in Sheffield Children’s Hospital where her mother Rebecca, 38, is providing round-the-clock support while father Steven, 34, stays at home in Doncaster with their two other children.
Rebecca said: “The surgery was complex and required a great deal of skill and concentration, particularly as it had never been performed in the UK before. Thankfully it went well and Eve continues to grow stronger.”
Her mother hopes that Eve can act as “a little ray of hope” to other youngsters with similar ailments.
Rebecca added: “She smiles, she plays, she’s mischievous, she’s funny. It will be nice when we get her off the ventilator and off oxygen but we’ll get there when we get there.”