HEART
CENTER
Diagnosed
before birth,
congenital heart defect
Open heart
surgery for an infant may sound shocking, but hearing that
a heart problem has been caught in time is music to a
parent’s ears.
When local KPRC-TV personality Roseann Rogers became
pregnant, she and her husband, Dr. Aashish Shah, like
other expectant parents, looked forward to the delivery of
a healthy, happy baby. But, at 33 weeks of gestation,
Roseann’s obstetrician heard a troubling sound with her
baby’s heart and referred her to
Texas Children’s Heart
Center®.
Roseann and
Aashish went to see
Dr. Nancy Ayres, fetal
cardiologist at the Heart Center, to get an echocardiogram
of their baby’s heart. Through ultrasound technology,
Ayres found that Roseann’s baby had serious cardiac
abnormalities that would require surgical repair soon
after birth.
“It was a
shock for us to hear this news,” says Roseann. “I never
knew that babies could be born with serious
heart defects.
It was unthinkable that our unborn baby would need open
heart surgery within the first day or two of his life.”
Ayres, who
sees
congenital heart defects on a daily basis in her
specialized fetal diagnosis practice at Texas Children’s
Heart Center, says, “Parents often experience a grieving
process because of the loss of a normal pregnancy. As they
learn about their baby’s cardiac defect, they become
empowered with knowledge, so they can understand the
treatment plan. Early diagnosis is very beneficial to
prepare the parents and the Heart Center team to provide
the very best patient care.”
The couple
also had a lengthy consultation with pediatric heart
surgeon
Dr. Charles Fraser Jr., chief
of Congenital Heart Surgery. He explained that a
multidisciplinary surgery, cardiology and neonatal team
would be ready and waiting throughout the delivery and the
surgery that would follow.
Born at 39
weeks, Nikhil underwent an eight-hour open heart surgery
the day after his birth. Fraser reconnected the baby’s
lungs to his heart, repaired a narrowed aorta and closed a
hole in his heart.
"Nikhil was
a very sick baby. He was born with a combination of three
serious heart anomalies,” says Fraser. “We treat similarly
difficult cases all the time; yet Nikhil’s heart presented
unusual challenges.”
“Even
though Nikhil’s case was rare, Dr. Fraser was confident
that he could repair his heart. He and his wonderful staff
supported us through the entire process,” adds Roseann.
“We felt confident, too. We chose Texas Children’s for its
high rate of success. We know they’re the best at what
they do.”
After a
recuperative period of several weeks in the cardiovascular
intensive care, Nikhil went home with his loving parents
to begin living an active baby’s life. Nikhil continues
his follow-up care at Texas Children’s Heart Center with
pediatric electrophysiologist
Dr. Richard Friedman to ensure
that his repaired heart does not miss a beat.
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