Sutton Coldfield baby undergoes open heart surgery at just 36 hours-old

Jul 24 2011 by Roy Bayliss, Sunday Mercury

HE is the little miracle. Rudy Maxwell-Jones underwent open heart surgery at the age of just 36 HOURS old – and is battling bravely back to health at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Rudy, from Sutton Coldfield, was born with a life-threatening narrowing of the aortic valve, leaving his heart dangerously swollen because the blood was not being pumped out of it properly.

He arrived in the world three weeks early after being induced to save further stress on his heart. And within 36 hours he underwent surgery to unblock the constricted valve, which was no wider than a pinhole.

Rudy is one of the youngest children ever to have undergone open heart surgery – but that was just the start of the baby’s fight for survival.

As medics fought to save his life, Rudy was put onto a machine which took over the work of his heart and lungs for two days.

The ECLS – short for Extra-Corporeal Life Support machine – was bought for the hospital by Next retail tycoon George Davies after his baby granddaughter Evie survived a heart problem in 2006.

“There were several crises during the first two weeks after the operation, when Rudy’s pressures dropped alarmingly and his life hung in the balance,” says proud mum Jeanette Shiel.

“At times there were up to 20 Intensive Care staff working to stabilise his condition, but he finally pulled through. He faces several more operations to correct the problem but is looking far stronger and more alert.