Youngest transfusion patient 'now chirpy little boy'

Youngest transfusion patient 'now chirpy little boy'3 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleTanya GuptaSouth EastNHSBTArthur is now "doing great", his mother saysA baby who contracted a virus when he was still in the womb is thought to be the youngest in the UK to receive a life-saving, rare blood transfusion procedure.Doctors discovered Arthur had caught parvovirus, which led to severe anaemia, a build-up of fluid and heart failure.Specialists at St George's Hospital in London gave the infant what is known as an intrauterine transfusion (IUT) when he was about the size of an avocado and his mother was 16 weeks pregnant.His mother, Maisie, a 30-year-old primary school teacher from Cranleigh in Surrey, said it was 50/50 whether her son would survive, but the procedure was successful and he was now a "really chirpy little boy".NHSBTMaisie said there were no words to express her gratitudeMedics believe Arthur is the youngest patient in the UK to have had the procedure.Parvovirus, also known as slapped cheek syndrome, is usually harmless to children but Arthur was extremely unwell because of his immature immune system.Maisie described the procedure in 2024 as "absolutely terrifying"."He was so small the doctors were working within millimetres," she said.Arthur, born in January 2025, was "doing great" and "reaching all the milestones", she said."To have the life I am now living, with my family, there's no words to express the gratitude I feel and how fortunate I was to be able to access that care and blood promptly," she added.She said she often wondered who the donor was, adding: "I would love to tell them that their decision to give blood gave my boy the chance to be here."NHSBTArthur was extremely unwell before the transfusionAbout 180 IUT units are issued each year by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), using blood from donors who must meet strict criteria.Paul Bic...