The Cardiac Center at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
Cardiac Testimonials
Christian
was born with tricuspid
atresia, a rare heart defect in which the tricuspid valve is closed or
absent, resulting in a lack of blood flow to the lungs. Surgical installation
of a shunt improved his blood flow until he was old enough to undergo the
Fontan procedure to correct his condition.
Baby
Christina was born with a group of serious heart defects known as hypoplastic
left heart complex. Fortunately, recent advances in medicine have resulted
in new opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration between open heart
surgeons and interventional cardiologists, giving high-risk patients like
Christina a better prognosis than in years past.
Harrison was born with transposition
of the greater vessels, a condition in which the aorta and the pulmonary
artery are switched, causing life-threatening circulatory problems. Immediate
surgical intervention saved his life.
One-year-old
Brian had no obvious symptoms of atrial
septal defect. In fact, he was incredibly active. However, he was functioning
at only 70 to 80 percent of his physical capacity because of the dime-sized
hole in his heart.
Guerlyn
was diagnosed with Tetralogy
of Fallot, a serious heart condition that could not be treated in his
native country of Haiti. Since most children with this defect do not reach
the age of 7 without surgery — and Guerlyn was already 6 — time was running
out.
Eight-year-old
Olivia was easily fatigued and noticeably underweight. Her diagnosis was
an atrial
septal defect, which in her case translated into a hole the size of a
quarter in the top two chambers of her heart. With a tissue graft from her
own pericardium, she has grown into a healthy, thriving teen.
Ahmad
was born with an especially severe case of Tetralogy
of Fallot, a
heart condition that occurs in approximately 50 out of 100,000 infants.
When he was only a day old open heart surgery saved his life.
