Archive for congenital heart defect
From aerospace to the OR: 3D modeling improves surgical planning by revealing details of patients’ hearts
One of the most important tools for complex heart surgeries at Boston Children’s isn’t even in the operating room. For years, heart surgeons couldn’t see the complete extent of a patient’s condition until a procedure started, forcing them to rely on experience, diagnostic imaging, and other information to plan surgery. Now, 3D modeling allows them ... Read More
Finding a way to help newborns who can’t immediately have heart treatment
Newborns with complex congenital heart defects (CHD) and pulmonary overcirculation often need treatment as soon as possible. Unfortunately, some of these children are not in good enough health to withstand surgery. To address this challenge, Boston Children’s heart specialists leaned into technological innovation, their experience, and a perseverance that would ultimately confirm their belief that even the ... Read More
A ‘super’ new heart surgery for a super kid
When you’re the first person in the world to undergo a new type of heart surgery, you don’t have to use the procedure’s clinical name. You can give it any name you want, even your own. That’s what 7-year-old Easton Schlein’s family has done. While his Boston Children’s cardiac surgery team calls the groundbreaking procedure a “reverse ... Read More
Experience and innovation create a safer type of heart surgery
The Eureka moment came the day before heart surgery. Easton Schlein wasn’t an ideal candidate for a full-scale surgical repair of an underdeveloped left ventricle. But his cardiac surgeons weren’t satisfied that they instead had to use the Fontan procedure, the only other option for that condition, but one associated with long-term liver complications. Reviewing ... Read More
After complex heart surgery, Yah’ir is all smiles
Christina Moreland and Jimmy Austin want their 6-month-old son, Yah’ir, to have a bright future, one where he can pursue all of his dreams. “He can do whatever he wants to do,” Christina says. There’s just one caveat, an understandable one considering that Yah’ir is recovering from complex heart surgery. “As long as he doesn’t ... Read More
Treatment for a complex congenital heart defect gives Alyvia ‘endless energy’
She may be just 3 years old, but Alyvia Parker is already making a difference for other kids with congenital heart defects (CHD). This month, she was a guest of honor at Gulfport City Hall, where, thanks to her and her mom’s advocacy, their hometown lawmakers proclaimed it Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. The two also ... Read More
From Pakistan to Boston: Faiz finally found help for his complex heart condition
Don’t let his shy smile fool you. In his hometown of Lahore, Pakistan, 6-year-old Muhammad Butt is known by the nickname “Faiz the fighter.” Faiz had long defied the predictions of local doctors who said the heart surgery he needed would be complicated and instead advised his parents to enjoy the time they had with ... Read More
Research 2022: Tackling disease in new ways
Researchers across Boston Children’s spent 2022 imagining new solutions to old challenges in health and medicine, opening the door to brand-new treatments. Here are a few areas where research is poised to make a difference in children’s — and even adults’ — lives. Rethinking disease through genetics Genetic sequencing is becoming a fundamental tool for discovering ... Read More
With support for genetic condition trisomy 18, Brooklyn ‘tells her own story’
Erin and Tim Haggan quickly realized they would always be seeking answers after learning the child they were expecting had trisomy 18. It is a life-threatening chromosomal condition, and only about 10 percent of children live beyond their first year. Those who survive grow slowly and often have congenital heart defects (CHD) and other organ anomalies. The couple ... Read More
A new lens on cardiac surgery could help prevent arrhythmia
Sometimes, a change in perspective can lead to a medical breakthrough. A type of microscopy typically used to detect cancer and other diseases has been adapted to reveal the location of unseen conduction tissue around the heart. The Boston Children’s clinician behind this innovation now aims to prove the safety and effectiveness of fiber-optic confocal ... Read More