An Aberdeen baby who was born with back to front veins on his heart has survived a brush with death, following the work of medical staff in Aberdeen and Glasgow.
New parents, Millie and Graham Rae, welcomed little Austin into the world on February 13 at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.
But soon after his birth, medical experts noticed something was wrong and the baby was taken away for an examination, prior to doctors deciding little Austin would need an emergency ambulance journey to Glasgow.
Mr Rae explained: “When he was born, he started to turn blue, so he was rushed away to the baby doctor.
“We were told his veins on the back of his heart were back to front, and he would need to be taken to see specialists at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow.
“Our whole world turned upside down, it was like a nightmare – we couldn’t believe it.
“After some scans, the surgeons told us he had a condition called Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage (TAPVD), and he had to have emergency open heart surgery just 18 hours after being born.
“He is a lot better now.
“He had a few bad turns last week which we were struggling with, but after a few days, he started to move forward.
“On Tuesday, they got him off the ventilator, so we’re still in Glasgow with him now, but we’re hoping to get home in about two weeks.
“We would really like to thank the NHS staff in Aberdeen and in Glasgow for acting so quickly and finding out what was wrong with Austin, and getting him the surgery he needed so fast.
“They really are amazing people.”
