Patient Stories

Here are some Cardiac Patient Stories from the Saint Barnabas Health Care System.

Robert
Augustine
Rose
Roger
James
Peter
Ryan
Daniel
Michele
 
 


Shortly after baby Daniel came into the world, doctors diagnosed pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum. It is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate intervention. Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at Children’s Heart Center at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center developed an innovative minimally invasive treatment plan that combined the use of existing surgical and cather-based techniques to correct the blockage of blood flow between his heart and lungs.

Daniel

Pediatric cardiac surgeons opened Daniel’s tiny chest to expose the front of his heart and the pulmonary artery. They punctured the beating heart below the closed pulmonary valve, then with transesophageal echocardiography to guide their efforts, a needle was passed precisely through the wall of the right ventricle and then across the malformed valve. Interventional cardiologists then passed a soft guide wire through the valve, following it with a balloon catheter that opened the valve. The catheter was removed, and once blood was pumping through the valve, the needle site in the heart wall was closed with one stitch. The surgeons then placed an aorta-to-pulmonary artery shunt in order to provide an extra source of blood flow to the lungs – again without having to stop Daniels’ heart.

After an additional “routine” cardiac catheterization to further dilate the narrowed pulmonary valve and the right pulmonary artery, Daniel continues to make good progress.

[ top ]

Call Center
Find a Physician
Foundation
Careers
Our Nurses
My Medication List