A Medical Update from David.

Lincoln's official diagnosis when he was examined in detail after birth was the following:

(Being that i am no expert, please bare with me as i try to explain this in the best way i know how at this time. There are many websites out there that can give you a lot more detailed information if you are interested. I have found that The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Website is very informative: CHOP

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome With Intact or Highly Restrictive Atrial Septum

The pictures below show the typical differences between a normal heart and a heart with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). They also show the details of the 3 step procedure that is typically performed in order for a baby with this situation to survive.

This link gives a lot more detailed information and even videos if you would like to take a look:

Details of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Please be aware that the information above is unfortunately only part of the diagnosis.

Baby's with HLHS will typically be born with another defect as well, that actually allows the heart to function in a alternate way. This is called an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), and this can also be seen in the pictures above. It is an opening between the left and right atriums that in a normal heart would cause a large problem, but in a baby with HLHS, it is essential for blood flow. This defect did not exist in Lincoln's heart, and this is called Intact (or Highly Restricted) Atrial Septum. Therefore, on his first day of life, the doctor's had to use a catheter to place a small stint in this area to allow blood to flow through the 2 atrial chambers. This essentially creates an "artificial" ASD (described above).

The situation directly above involving the Intact or Highly Restrictive Atrial Septum is our major focus right now. Before the issues involving the HLHS can even begin to be addressed, we must focus on this issue.

Unfortunately, because the ASD did not exist in Lincoln's heart from the beginning, a lot of damage was done while he was still inside the womb. This damage was done primarily to his lungs. Although his lungs were in limited use in utero, they were still developing and preparing for life outside of his mother's belly. During this important time of development, Lincoln's lungs were being "flooded" by the blood that should have been circulating through the ASD. This "back flow" resulted in  him having very weak and underdeveloped lungs when he came out.

Currently, the most important and essential objective at hand is to restore normal or close to normal function to Lincoln's lungs. The damage to Lincoln's lungs is extensive, and the road to repair is going to continue to be an uphill battle for him and his doctors.

The heart and lungs work so closely together, that without good lung function, Lincoln will never be a candidate to have the 3 surgeries described above. These surgeries are essential to his survival.