Pediatric Home Ventilation: Meghan's Story
Meghan, her parents, and Dr. Tsai.
Meghan Salter was born on October 16, 2002. A happy, healthy baby girl, she splashed around in the bath and enjoyed every moment of the first three weeks of life. Her parents Ellen and Mike and siblings Lauren, 12, Michael, 10, and Shannon, 7 welcomed the lovely addition to their family.
Then, Meghan’s health took a turn for the worse. She stopped gaining weight and became very weak. She was beginning to lose movement of her arms and legs.
Pediatricians and a team of specialists worked to find the cause for the infant’s declining condition, but to no avail. In February 2003, Meghan stopped breathing for the first time. She was taken to the hospital, intubated and flown via helicopter to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital – a trip she would make three more times in the course of the next two years. Neurologists initially determined that Meghan’s apnea was caused by a seizure and sent her home with an apnea/heart monitor. Six days later, Meghan stopped breathing again.
The seizures continued and Meghan’s condition worsened. She was diagnosed with “Laryngomalacia,” a condition which causes the airway to collapse and makes breathing impossible. In April, Meghan had a tracheostomy and began using ventilator support to breathe. In the months that followed, she continued to have stronger seizures. An MRI and a spinal tap were performed, but both tests showed no abnormalities. After weeks in Mott Hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Meghan was taken off the facility ventilator, put on a home ventilator and sent to the Stable Vent Unit to prepare to go home. Discharged from Mott in June, Meghan would return again one month later when she suffered a nearly fatal seizure. Doctors told Meghan’s parents it would take a miracle for her to survive. But she did.
Meghan has remained “stable” and out of the hospital since June 2003. Although her underlying condition is not improving, she has been able to enjoy the benefits of family life at her Dearborn, Michigan home. Supported by a ventilator to assist breathing and a G tube (a tube inserted into a hole in the stomach) for feeding, Meghan is able to manage quite well. She’s gained weight and continues to grow.
Every six months, Meghan sees a team of specialists at the U-M Pediatric Vent Clinic. “I have nothing but the highest compliments for this program,” says Mike, “We go into one room at the hospital and all the specialists come to us. If we had to visit separate departments, it would take several days.”
Continually watching for even the smallest sign of improvement, the Salter family remains happy and thankful for Meghan’s life. “Meghan has helped us to refocus our lives,” says Mike. “Meghan is a beautiful gift to us and the whole community. It’s these types of trials that really do bring out the best in people.” (2005)
