Operated on in the womb

Baby Erik owes his life to doctors in Graz

Parents Nina Mohorko and Tadej Irsic are over the moon with their Erik

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The fact that the beaming parents can hold baby Erik in their arms is thanks to a sensation achieved at Graz LKH! The baby was operated on while still in the womb - he weighed just 300 grams. . He was then given the best possible care and has now finally been allowed home from hospital.

Erik is a beautiful baby, slumbering peacefully in the arms of his blissful parents, sometimes he seems to smile in his sleep. But the fact that the now twelve-week-old baby is in the world, healthy, with the best chances of leading a normal life, is a sensation. And he owes this to the pediatric experts at Graz University Hospital. Their medical skill, their empathy and their tireless efforts to see the boy live.

Sebastian Tschauner (Head of Pediatric Radiology), Birgit Hochreiner (Head of Pediatric Surgical Intensive Care Unit), Philipp Klaritsch (Head of Fetal Medicine), Ernst Eber (Director of the University Hospital for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine), Holger Till (Director of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery), from left to right.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The chances of this happening: minimal. The very first ultrasound image showed a malformation of the lungs, with enormous cysts. "Unfortunately, that sometimes happens," says Holger Till, Head of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery. Usually with fatal consequences: The cysts grow, compressing the heart - "that leads to death in the womb if left untreated".

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The desperate Slovenian couple could not be helped in their home country, they turned to Graz for help, "and we were answered immediately!" And responded. Luminary Philipp Klaritsch placed a 2.5 centimeter shunt through the chest wall into one of the giant cysts. In an unborn baby that weighed just 300 grams! "This allowed fluid to drain away and reduced the pressure on the heart." And immediately after the birth, part of Till's lung was removed. This also removed the cysts. Till: "And the lungs will grow back by the age of four. We just have to give it time."

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Erik had to spend 55 days in intensive care immediately after his birth on 29 January. It was also a challenging time: "It was often enough one step forward, two steps back," says Birgit Hochreiner from the management team. But he is alive! The procedure, which has never been performed in Graz before, has attracted international attention.

• What is a CPAM? CPAM (Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation) is a rare congenital malformation of the lungs that affects around 1 in 3000 pregnancies. Cysts form in the affected lobe of the lung instead of normal respiratory tissue maturing. The cause of the disease is unknown, it is usually discovered during prenatal ultrasound. Three to five children with CPAM are treated at Graz University Hospital every year. However, cystic changes as large as Erik's are extremely rare. Removal of the affected lung lobes is the only way to treat CPAM in the long term. Surgery is usually performed around the first birthday.
• What is a shunt? A shunt is a short-circuit connection with fluid transfer between normally separate vessels or cavities. A shunt can be placed artificially as part of a medical procedure. In the case of CPAM, the survival rate can be increased to 60-80 percent by inserting a shunt.

The parents, who still have a two-year-old daughter, can't believe it, holding their tiny Erik in their arms with a huge smile: "When we heard his first cry, we were simply grateful, humble and overwhelmed. We don't even know how to say thank you to everyone here in Graz!"

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

What wonderful news, as it is well known that the University Hospital Graz is often only concerned with the health crisis, long waiting lists and staff shortages. Holger Till says: "We may have our problems at the clinic. But something like this shows: We work!"