Arterial Switch Operation, Atrial Septal Defect, Coarctation of the Aorta, Heart, Transposition of the Great Arteries, Ventricular Septal Defect

A routine prenatal ultrasound turns scary, but offers time to prepare for lifesaving heart surgery

For Lauren Fitzmaurice of Owensboro, Kentucky, after 30 weeks of pregnancy, her due date was starting to seem like it was within reach. Pregnant with her second son, Miles, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, prompting another ultrasound — all pretty normal stuff. But Lauren’s local OB/GYN noticed something not normal, an anomaly that needed…

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Atrial Septal Defect, Glenn Procedure, Heart, Heart Catheterization, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Norwood Procedure

Rare congenital heart disease treated through combination of surgical techniques

Alyssa Claycomb considers her first two children “healthy as horses.” So during her pregnancy with her youngest child, Cayden Horton, the thought of congenital heart disease never entered her mind, let alone a very rare and usually fatal complex heart abnormality. The anatomy scan during her 22-week OB/GYN visit would change everything. Anatomy ultrasound leads…

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Atrial Septal Defect, Cardiomyopathy, Heart, Ventricular Assist Device

Genetic rarity: All 3 Byler children inherit the same cardiomyopathy heart defect

Elizabeth and Andrew Byler were devastated when their first child, Emily, was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. A few years later, they were shocked to discover their second child, Ethan, also had a heart defect and would require a transplant. But sometimes there are three sides to every story. In February 2017 their third…

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