"The new procedure is a medical breakthrough in pediatric cardiac care," said Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr., the chief of cardiovascular surgery at Texas Children's Heart Center, who performed the surgery. "It gives new hope for children with failing hearts because they now have potential to wait longer for hearts to become available for transplants. Until now, the temporary VADs available for use only gave us a very limited timeframe for a heart to become available."
Houston resident Anna Grudziecke, whose cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle, caused a rapid deterioration of her heart, underwent surgery on Friday, March 26 at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. The surgery took approximately four hours. Added benefits of this device include reduced surgery time and increased mobility.
"Today's surgery is a critical development in the advancement of the field," said Fraser, who also is a professor of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. "I'm thrilled that our team was able to be a part of this milestone. We know that these types of devices will be vital to improving the lives of many children who otherwise would have no options."
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Contact: Carol Wittman
cmwittma@texaschildrenshospital.org
832-824-2040
Baylor College of Medicine
26-Mar-2004