Poppy’s heart inspired Dad to develop scan

REZA RAZAVI, 53, is a consultant paediatric cardiologist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, and lives in North London with wife Angela, 54, a GP, and their four children. He began developing heart scans for babies after his newborn daughter Poppy nearly died from a heart defect. POPPY’S 20-week ultrasound scan was normal but as soon as she was born it was clear something was wrong. She was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries, a serious defect where two main arteries leaving the heart are connected wrongly, stopping the body getting enough oxygen. She had three heart operations in her first month; we almost lost her twice.

She’s now 14 (pictured with Reza, right) and healthy; she sings, dances and plays the trumpet.

The 20-week ultrasound scan spots 20 to 50 per cent of major heart defects. But being aware early could let treatment be planned earlier. With colleagues at King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, I am developing a robot that holds up to four ultrasound probes at once. We have also created 3D MRI images of babies in the womb to give an unrivalled view of the foetal heart. The scans have detected defects in 85 unborn babies and been used more than 200 times.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘There has been improvement in prenatal diagnosis of heart defects,’ says Professor Basky Thilaganathan, spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. ‘Clearer images would help surgeons plan the best course of surgery after birth.’