Charlene Hutchison, who was 5 months pregnant, had her world turned upside down when she found out her baby had a heart disease that occurs in 200 million people. Living in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, Graham and Charlene discovered that their baby was facing the risk of death due to a disease called interrupted aortic arch (IAA). The unlucky baby was also found to have another dangerous disease called transposition of the great arteries (TGA).

Doctors mentioned that it would be challenging to get the baby’s heart to function properly. Moreover, it was uncertain whether the baby would survive after birth. Specialists recommended terminating the pregnancy, but the young couple did not lose hope. The baby, named Albert, was born in March 2024. Having undergone an 18-hour open heart surgery, Albert spent months in the hospital.

According to a report in The Mirror, although Albert currently needs a feeding tube, he can move and speak like children his age. Graham and Charlene expressed their happiness at seeing their son growing healthy. Interrupted aortic arch (IAA) refers to the curved part of the main artery where the aorta exits the heart and branches out to pump blood to the body. The aorta passes through three main sections as it leaves the heart: the aortic root, aortic arch, and descending aorta.

The aortic arch, located in the upper part of the aorta, functions as the main vessel carrying blood to many vital organs in the body. Abnormalities in the aortic arch can lead to various heart conditions. These abnormalities can be congenital or develop with age. Conditions such as aortic arch constriction or the malformation of the aortic arch can obstruct blood flow and cause health issues. Transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is a congenital structural defect in the heart where the major arteries are switched. Normally, the pulmonary artery, carrying blood to the lungs, exits the right ventricle, while the aorta, carrying oxygenated blood to the body, exits the left ventricle. However, in TGA, these two arteries swap positions.

The pulmonary artery leaves the left ventricle and carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs. This leads to oxygenated blood going to the body and deoxygenated blood going to the lungs. Symptoms include difficulty breathing and cyanosis (blueness) shortly after birth. Babies often breathe rapidly and require immediate treatment. TGA is usually corrected with surgical intervention. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for survival.