'We just need a bed': Baby with 'days to live' can't access lifesaving treatment
Summary
A three-month-old baby named Macs, who has a serious heart condition, needs a special device called a Berlin heart to survive. His family says he has been stuck in a hospital waiting for a transfer to one of two specialist hospitals in the UK, but no beds are available. The hospital authorities say they are managing care carefully and funding is in place, but treatment depends on bed availability and clinical decisions.Key Facts
- Macs is a three-month-old baby diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart problem that can cause heart failure.
- He is currently on a machine that pumps his heart and is in an induced coma while waiting for a hospital transfer.
- Macs urgently needs a Berlin heart, a device that supports heart function until a donor heart is available.
- Only two UK hospitals can fit the Berlin heart: Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
- Macs has been waiting for weeks in a specialist unit in Bristol, but no beds in the specialist hospitals are free.
- NHS Blood and Transplant data show fewer than five children in Wales and England currently use the Berlin heart.
- Only 2% of deceased organ donors in the UK are under 18, making child organ donations rare.
- Hospital officials say care is focused on Macs, with treatment access decided through clinical assessment and UK-wide bed management.
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