Study plea for young hearts
Despite being born with only half her heart properly formed and fears she would barely live past her teens, Lexi Oliver has new hope of a long life.
The eight-year-old was just four weeks old when she had her first open-heart surgery after being born with a serious defect that meant she had only one chamber to pump blood in and out of her heart, instead of two.
By the time she turned five, Lexi had had two more major operations, dramatically transforming her from a "blue" listless baby into a healthy girl.
Using a technique developed in the 1970s known as Fontan, Princess Margaret Hospital surgeons created a type of detour to allow the heart to function with only one ventricle.
Although the surgery was a life-saver, Lexi's family were aware of the uncertainty over her future, with conventional medical thinking suggesting patients were unlikely to live more than 20 years.
A registry tracking hundreds of patients is challenging the notion and doctors believe children such as Lexi, from Melville, could live into their 50s or beyond.
She is one of more than 900 patients in Australia and NZ taking part in the biggest heart study of its kind in the world, the Fontan Registry.
This month, it aims to raise $200,000 in its Fontan for Life campaign.
The registry was set up two years ago so researchers and surgeons could follow up patients and improve their health outcomes and quality of life.
It has found that adult patients need regular check-ups by a specialist to pick up early signs of problems such as liver and kidney failure.
Cath Oliver said the surgery had saved her daughter's life and allowed her to have a normal childhood.
"Who knows what other developments are around the corner," she said.
