A new era in heart valve replacement at a California children鈥檚 hospital
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital recently made history performing the first pediatric partial heart transplant in Southern California. Surgeons successfully replaced 12-year-old Ymiliano Hernandez's damaged heart valves with living tissue from a donor's heart, in what could ultimately be the future of heart valve replacement for many patients.
Hernandez was born with truncus arteriosus, a rare congenital heart defect in which a single blood vessel exits the heart instead of the usual two, affecting normal blood flow. Following the groundbreaking 15-hour procedure, post-op imaging results show that his heart now functions as if he鈥檇 been born with a typical one.
"It's incredible to think about the benefits of this approach,鈥 said Natalie Shwaish, M.D., Hernandez鈥檚 cardiologist. 鈥淭raditional valve replacements, like those from human cadavers or cows, don't last very long. That means patients often need repeat surgeries an average of every 10 years for the rest of their life. The risks increase each time the chest is opened, making repeated procedures a significant concern. The other option, mechanical heart valves, require blood thinners which are challenging to manage in children and always have the risk of bleeding."