Doctors in London were faced with a difficult decision to freeze a new born baby in order to slow down his heartbeat, after repeated attempts to shock the child's heart have failed.
Claire Ives, a nurse in London, is the mother of baby Edward Ives, who was born with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and was given a five percent chance of survival. SVT is caused by improper electrical impulses in the heart that leads to an irregular rapid heartbeat heart, which then can lead to heart failure or affect internal organs. When the heart beats too quickly, it can't fill up properly and then distribute blood to vital organs correctly.
"I just thought he was going to die," said Ives.
A few hours after his birth, his heart started to race again. Doctors at University College London Hospital attempted to reset his heart rate by shocking his heart and giving him different medications, but when that failed they were left without many options except one they had never tried for SVT.
They were forced to freeze, or lower Edward's body temperature to protect his vital organs and slow his heart rate.
"We'd gone through all the usual maneuvers that usually work in babies, giving drugs ... trying to shock the heart, the baby and get [a healthy heart rate back]," said Dr. Nicola Robertson, who works in the neonatal unit at the University College London Hospital.
Doctors periodically used a cold gel blanket to lower Edward's body temperature to approximately 91 degrees, which both protected his organs and slowed the electrical circuit in his heart. Unfortunately, over the next day, as Edward was warmed up, his heart began to race again. So the team again cooled his body temperature, three days after they had initially lowered it.
Eventually doctors began the process of warming Edward, this time going at a slower rate as they carefully raised his temperature only half a degree every 12 hours. This time his heart rate remained stable.
It wasn't until 10 days after giving birth that Claire Ives was able to hold her son. A month later she and her husband, Phillip Ives, were able to bring Edward home to join his two older siblings.
"It's made me appreciate all the small things about my children," said Claire Ives, who is planning to run a half-marathon to raise awareness about neonatal SVT. "It's the best thing ever to bring him home."
