From the Field: São José do Rio Preto, Brazil

January 2011, Nine-Year-Old Italo from Brazil:

In January 2011, Children's HeartLink made its third cardiac training visit to Hospital de Base in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil. During the visit, medical volunteers and Hospital de Base staff concentrated on discussing cases related to complex diagnoses and re-operation in older children – a goal identified by the Hospital de Base cardiac program to help them become a center of excellence in Brazil. Nine-year-old Italo’s case was one of the teaching cases discussed during the visit.

From a small town in the Amazon region of Brazil, Italo was born with a serious heart defect--ventricular septal defect and pulmonary atresia. He was not diagnosed at birth, and his parents did not find out about his condition until he became ill after a routine vaccination at the age of one.

During a follow up visit, doctors discovered his heart problem. Italo had several surgeries in São Paulo, Brazil before being referred to the Hospital de Base. Italo’s family was nervous about traveling to São José do Rio Preto, because they thought the best treatment would be in the bigger city – São Paulo. Soon after Italo and his father arrived at Hospital

de Base, Italo’s father went to a local church. At the church he met a family that invited him to stay in their home while Italo was receiving care in the hospital. Due to the kindness of strangers, Italo and his father could wait for the Children's HeartLink team from Mayo Clinic, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital.

Italo underwent surgery to have a Blalock-Taussig shunt provide more blood to his lungs for oxygenation. Today Italo's condition is improved and he is a happy and playful nine-year-old!