Incredible! See Baby Saved Using Part of a Cow's Heart (Photo)

A little boy has been saved from a debilitating sickness after doctors used an unlikely means to cure him.

Little Noa Gwilym Pritchard

 

A newborn baby who was born with a rare heart condition called Holt-Oram syndrome has made an amazing recovery after doctors used parts of a cow's heart to save him.

 

The baby boy named Noa Gwilym Pritchard spent the first eight months of his life battling to survive after being diagnosed by doctors with Holt-Oram syndrome. The rare condition only affects one in 100,000 and frequently leads to cardiac complications.

 

But pioneering doctors were able to repair Noa's heart using parts from a cow and he has made a miraculous recovery. Surgeons at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool carried out the procedure when he was just a few days old and used "both human and bovine" tissue.

 

Incredibly, it was a great success and now Noa's heart is "near perfect" and his mum Elen Pritchard said she is overjoyed that her little boy is "flourishing".

 

"Recently it has become obvious that it is the rare syndrome Holt-Oram which is the cause of Noa's problems with his arms and his heart. It’s incredible to think how he is today, compared to the serious prognosis given at the 20-week scan." Elen said.

 

The little boy's life was saved using cow parts.

 

Holt-Oram syndrome FACTS

Holt-Oram syndrome, also called heart-hand syndrome, is an inherited disorder characterized by abnormalities of the upper limbs and heart. Holt and Oram first described this condition in 1960 in a 4-generation family with atrial septal defects and thumb abnormalities.