Simple test can save lives of babies
Bowie Macmillan is one of 12 babies born each week with a heart condition in New Zealand.
Bowie, from One Tree Hill, was born with a significant heart defect that went undetected at birth and had to undergo openheart surgery as he had a 6 millimetre hole in his heart.
It was four weeks before doctors at Starship Hospital discovered Bowie’s condition.
August is Heart Kids Awareness Month and this year the charity wants to extend family support programmes nationwide.
Chief executive Rob Lutter is advocating for the introduction of a life-saving intervention diagnostic tool that will address the criti- cal survival factor of early intervention.
‘‘Early intervention is the key, yet 50 per cent of babies suffering a serious heart condition go undetected at birth.’’
‘‘The Pulse Oximetry Test will quickly and painlessly establish whether newborns have a lifethreatening heart defect and we will save lives as a consequence.’’
Sarah Macmillan says if this test had been available it would have saved her family a lot of heartache, stress and tears.
Bowie is now 15 months old and is doing great.
‘‘[He’s] such a cool little dude, crawling everywhere and wanting to walk. You would look at him and not even know he is a heart baby.’’