On May 15, 2019, when April heard her 10-month-old son Jace crying a little late at night, she went into his bedroom to check on him. After picking him up from his crib to comfort him, she noticed his heart was racing fast against her chest.
April, a registered nurse, was concerned and decided to check his heart rate, which was going 200 beats per minute—higher than average for an infant his age. April immediately woke up her husband, Matthew, and they took Jace to the hospital in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Jace had an ECG (a heart test) that determined he was in SVT, a condition where the heart suddenly beats much faster than normal. A bedside maneuver to convert his heart rate back into normal sinus rhythm was unsuccessful, and his care team determined that he needed to be airlifted to the IWK for urgent, specialized care.
“My husband and I were both quite tearful,” shares April. “We just didn’t know what to expect. We just wanted Jace better.”
At the IWK, Jace was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where he was hooked up to an IV and a feeding tube and underwent many tests. At one point, Jace went unresponsive and needed to be intubated. A short time later, Jace’s heart stopped, and his care team performed CPR to restart it.
Thankfully, Jace’s highly skilled IWK care team found the right medications to help stabilize his heart rate.
Jace spent 14 days in IWK’s PICU before moving to the IWK’s Pediatric Medical Unit. After 48 hours without any episodes of SVT, Jace and his parents could finally return to their home in New Brunswick.
In the months following, Jace’s heart health was continuously checked using a Holter monitor. He also had regular ECG tests done and was seen by an IWK care team through the IWK’s travelling clinics. Although things were going well and Jace’s heart health was stable, things took another drastic turn on August 17, 2019, when Jace went into SVT again.
April and Matthew quickly took Jace to their local hospital again, where he was then transferred by ambulance to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Fredericton. Due to the weather, Jace had to be airlifted to the IWK the following day.
Upon arrival at the IWK, Jace was admitted to the PICU, underwent testing, including an MRI, and was placed on additional medications to restabilize his heart rate. Thankfully, his care team was able to get his heart rate under control again.
After spending two weeks at the IWK receiving specialized care, Jace and his parents could return home again—something April and Matthew don’t ever take for granted.
“I firmly believe that if it weren’t for the IWK, my son would not be here today,” says April. “His life was in their hands. I could tell he was in the right spot to get the care he needed.”
Now five years old, Jace has not gone into SVT since August 2019 and has been off all his heart medications since January 2022. He loves fishing, swimming, and playing with his little sister, Lauren.
