Camarillo baby needs lung transplant
A 6-week-old Camarillo baby is in intensive care at Children's Hospital Los Angeles awaiting a new pair of lungs.
Katelyn Policastro has alveolar capillary dysplasia, a rare lung disorder that limits the amount of oxygen she is able to get to her body and causes severe pulmonary hypertension.
The condition is fatal, said her doctor, Philippe Friedlich, medical director of the hospital's neonatal and infant critical care unit.
"Worldwide, there is not a single infant who has survived this disorder," Friedlich said by phone Thursday.
Marc and Leslie Policastro of Camarillo appealed to the public on behalf of their daughter during a news conference Friday, telling them of the girl's immediate need for a lung transplant.
"This has been an extremely difficult time for us, and we want everyone to know that we appreciate all of the kind words and support we have received," Marc Policastro said.
He said he and his wife hope and pray that if the possibility of a lung donor emerges in the near future, someone will "contact the medical team at Children's Hospital Los Angeles as soon as possible."
Without a donor, Katelyn likely will not make it beyond another six weeks at most, Friedlich said.
The defect in the lungs starts during the fetal stage, he said.
The air sac around the lungs is not properly placed to provide oxygen to the blood, he said.
To compensate, the body will try even harder to get the oxygen to the blood, resulting in pulmonary hypertension.
Finding a suitable donor is very difficult, Friedlich said, since, the lungs must be small, meaning the donor will also have to be a baby. And many babies die of pulmonary-related problems, so their lungs are inadequate for use in another baby. Doctors also must get the lungs to the baby quickly, Friedlich said, since they will not last long out of the body.
Doctors have tried to stabilize Katelyn, hoping to buy time for a suitable donor to be found.
As part of this, they've added her name to various databases, including the Unified Network for Organ Sharing, a private, nonprofit organization that manages the nation's organ transplant system under contract with the federal government.
Should she get another pair of lungs, she would be the first patient with the disorder to receive a lung transplant, hospital officials said in a news release.
The public is asked to contact the hospital at 323-361-5932, should a lung donation become available.
1 COMMENTS:
I know how difficult it can be waiting for an organ. I am also waiting for double lungs and have been for six years. I pray that this baby gets a chance at a life that she deserves. May God Bless her and her family. Tanya Ewig-Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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