Right now Brother Tony has five children with hydrocephalus in his Hospice care center. There are other children/infants with hydrocephalus that are at home with the families waiting to come into Tony's care or to get medical care. There is a team of doctors (neurosurgeons) going to PAP in late March to help do shunt surgeries on the children and to train the Haitian doctors on how to perform shunt surgeries. Please keep all of the children in your prayers while they are waiting in pain, its so hard to imagine the amount that they are suffering. There are two children who have failed shunts, one of them is Peterson above. Peterson also has bed sores all over his head that is why it is bandaged up to keep it clean and protected the best that Tony can do in Haiti with limited resources. Bed sores are common for the babies and children with hydrocephalus because the skin is so thin and fragile from the "water" on the brain causing the skull to grow and grow.
We want to educate people with this blog and not scare people or put "scary" looking children's pictures out there in order to shock people into helping them. The sad fact is that sometimes that is what it takes to get people motivated to do something! But most importantly these children, all of them, with all their special needs, are God's beautiful children. Please don't look at the pictures in horror but in prayer. I have included more information about Hydrocephalus below. Any children that are unable to be helped in March by the Neuro team from Miami we will be seeking medical treatment in the US for them. We are thankful to the doctors because just knowing that they will be seen and evaluated is so vital!
Here is a link to a story about the wonderful doctors from Miami and the work that they do in Haiti:
What is Hydrocephalus?
Hydrocephalus is an abnormal buildup of the brain’s normal water-like fluid (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF).
How do you treat hydrocephalus?
The most common way is the surgical diversion of the excess fluid by placing a synthetic tube (shunt) into the ventricle.
What is a shunt?
A shunt is a tube that diverts the excess fluid from the expanded brain cavity (ventricle) to another part of the body. This procedure re-directs the fluid to another body cavity such as the abdomen. In most cases, the fluid is diverted to the peritoneal cavity in the abdomen or one of the chambers of the heart.
A shunt is usually composed of three parts: a silicone catheter that enters the enlarged ventricle; a one-way valve that only allows flow away from the ventricle; and tubing which enters the cavity that is to receive the fluid. Each valve is designed to operate at a set pressure, so that a high-pressure valve will allow less fluid to flow through it than a low-pressure valve. A variety of valve designs are available and efforts are constantly underway to improve them. The entire shunt system is placed underneath the skin.
Although, shunting systems represent a major medical breakthrough, patients are still left vulnerable to complications, most notably obstruction or infection of the shunt. However, most people diagnosed with hydrocephalus live full and active lives.
Can a shunt break?
Despite their success rate, shunts have potential problems. The most common complications are:
Bacterial infection and
Obstruction.
Infected shunts are treated with antibiotics and the removal and replacement of the system. Infections are typically accompanied by fever, redness and swelling along the tubing under the skin. Drainage of infected liquid (pus) from one of the incisions used to insert the shunt may also occur.
When a shunt is obstructed it no longer is able to drain fluid from the ventricles. This results in elevated intracranial pressure, causing headache, vomiting, lethargy, and sometimes double or blurred vision. Frequently such elevated pressure can be relieved temporarily by draining the shunt’s valve or reservoir with a needle. However, an operation to replace part or all of the shunt is generally required.
It is important for people with shunts to maintain contact with their neurosurgeon to ensure quick and accurate assessment of any problems that may arise.
