Medical Info

First, some background on the medical issues Andrew is facing. He was born with a diaphragmatic hernia, which is a congenital defect that begins around 10 weeks of development. The diaphragm (muscle dividing the abdominal and chest cavities) develops at the same time as the intestines and other digestive organs. In approximately 1 in 2200 to 5000 children, they develop abnormally, with a hole in the diaphragm that allows abdominal organs to migrate into the chest cavity. Sometimes it's a small hole, sometimes a larger one, and the organs that make it through can vary. The severity is determined by the location and size of the hole....a right-side hernia allows the liver to move through, which is harder to repair, a left-side hernia allows the intestines/stomach/colon to move through, and a dual-side hernia allows both and is almost always fatal. Andrew's hernia is left-side, which means his intestines and some other (as yet unknown) organs have moved north.

Diaphragmatic hernias always require surgery for repair, but the true danger lies not in the condition itself, but in the lung problems that go along with the defect. The intestines impinge on developing lungs, restricting them from growing to their full potential. Often, the heart and opposite-side lung are also pushed over and malformed. This results in underdeveloped lungs that don't provide enough oxygen to the newborn baby. Mechanical respiration (a ventilator) is almost always needed, and severe cases can also require a heart-lung bypass machine called an ECMO. Andrew's is a severe case and his lungs require significant help. In addition, there are other defects that can appear in syndromes along with this disease, including heart defects, chromosomal abnormalities, and/or kidney damage. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that Andrew has any of these non-lung related issues.