How Aussie cardiac surgeon dealt with his own son’s heart surgery

Doctor Matthew Liava’a has dedicated his life to saving children with congenital heart defects but that did not prepare him for when his unborn son needed that same surgery.

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Doctor Matthew Liava’a has dedicated his life to saving children with congenital heart defects but that did not prepare him for when his unborn son needed that same surgery.

Two years ago the 39-year-old — who is now based at The Children’s Hospital Westmead — was undergoing specialised training in New York when he and his wife, fellow doctor Marnique Basto, discovered their unborn child had what is known as a transposition of the great arteries.

Sebastien Liava'a had to have open heart surgery after he was born to save his life.

Sebastien is now healthy at 16 months after his heart surgery. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Their baby would need open heart surgery — of the kind that Dr Liava’a was specialising in.

“Initially your world falls apart. Everyone wants a normal baby,” Dr Liava’a told The Sunday Telegraph.

“But when we found out the exact diagnosis I was actually relieved because I know everything about the transposition of the great arteries and I know it’s a complex malformation and complex surgery, but generally they have good life expectancy.”

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Dr Liava’a was able to entrust his son’s life to the mentors who were teaching him — Dr Emile Bacha and Dr Paul Chai at the Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital.

Son Sebastien needed a catheter procedure within five minutes of being born to help oxygenate his blood and then underwent open heart surgery the next day.

“It is the scariest time of your life when you have a sick child with a life-threatening condition,” Dr Liava’a said.

“Especially for all parents of heart kids, they all go through that same feeling. You have to give your baby away not knowing if it is going to come back.

“I think I was lucky. I knew more than most parents and had a bit more confidence and more knowledge of a good result but you can never be sure.”

Dr Mathew Liava'a and his wife Marnique Basto with their son Sebastien after his heart surgery.

The family have now moved back to Sydney. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Dr Bacha said: “Performing heart surgery on a tiny, tiny baby is very specialised. The heart is the size of an apricot. It was very delicate surgery.”

The surgery took four to five hours.

“I tell parents to do some errands, go for a walk because if you watch the clock it doesn’t move, so we went for a walk, and tried not to sit and wait,” Dr Liava’a said.

Sebastien is now 16 months old and back home in Australia, but it has been a rollercoaster ride for his mum and dad, going from the fear of diagnosis to the joy of bringing him home.

“He did really well, he had as smooth a course as you could hope,” Dr Liava’a said.

“He was in hospital for nine days and now he is great. He runs around chasing his big sister. He started walking at nine months, so he is a very physical boy.”

Mathew Liava'a and Marnique Basto were living with their children Emmeline and Sebastien in New York when their youngest needed heart surgery shortly after his birth.

Few doctors get the chance to experience the system from a patient’s perspective and Dr Liava’a said it has helped him.

“I think I understand how parents feel a bit more,” he said.

“I’ve been in their shoes and I like to think it makes me a better doctor. I understand the highs and lows a bit more and the stress involved.”

Although Dr Liava’a is working at The Children’s Hospital Westmead, his wife, a urology registrar, is working in Melbourne, so he is also a fly-in-fly-out dad as well.

Originally published as How Aussie cardiac surgeon dealt with his own son’s heart surgery