Second opinion for midaortic syndrome gives Cameron a second chance

Cameron Grubb likes to shoot Nerf guns, and even his own doctors aren’t immune from his aim — in fact, they often fire back. It’s a playful act that everyone welcomes, however, particularly since this 6-year-old has defied the odds multiple times in his young life. Just three years ago, Cameron was struggling to survive after being diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure — so elevated, in fact, that his clinicians in Kansas thought the monitor must be broken. When they eventually confirmed the reading, it was 170/140, a dangerous level that sent him to the local intensive care unit for nine days. It wasn’t until months later that he was finally diagnosed with midaortic syndrome, a narrowing of the heart’s largest blood vessel, as well as renovascular hypertension, high blood pressure that results from decreased blood flow to the kidneys. To Boston for a second opinion In search of a second opinion, his mother Jackie — herself a nurse — began doing some research, which led her to Dr. Michael Ferguson in the Midaortic Syndrome and Renovascular Hypertension Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. “He reviewed Cameron’s records and told us that kids with midaortic syndrome are at high risk for strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure,” says Jackie. “Dr. Ferguson warned that Cameron was a ticking time bomb.” The family arrived in Boston for the next steps. Drs. Heung Bae Kim and Khashayar Vakili initially attempted a groundbreaking procedure that ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Heung-Bae Kim Dr. Khashavar Vakili Dr. Michael Ferguson midaortic syndrome Midaortic Syndrome and Renovascular Hypertension (MAS/RVH) Program TESLA Source Type: news