Delay in Zach’s return

Press, 22 July 1989, Page 1

Delay in Zach’s return

By

DEBORAH McPHERSON

The Christchurch baby rushed to Melbourne for life-saving surgery two weeks ago will not arrive home this week-end as expected. Baby Zach was being kept at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne for observation until Monday or Tuesday, said a hospital spokesman, Mr Don Kinsey. Zach had had no problems from the surgery, but was being kept longer to make sure he healed properly, said Mr Kinsey. The hospital had hoped to release Zach this week-end. “Everything is working well, but the operation was only the third of its kind in the world so we have to be sure he is all right,” said Mr Kinsey. Zach, born six weeks premature at Christchurch Women’s Hospital on July 6, suffered from a rare bladder-and-bowel disease, called cloacal extrophy. Until the successful surgery, the bowel and bladder had both been in several pieces outside the abdomen. The rare condition occurs in only one in 250,000 babies. Children with the condition who did not undergo surgery had died within a week, said Mr Kinsey. Surgery had been attempted only three times, all at the Royal Children’s Hospital in the last eight months, he said.