A hole in the heart!

We found out when Kristie was just a week old that she had a septal defect - a hole in the heart. We began seeing a cardiologist who advised us to wait and see if the hole would close on its own. He said that most holes actually do close spontaneously. But by the time Kristie was 3, the hole hadn't shown any signs of change. Our cardiologist felt it was time to have it repaired and recommended open-heart surgery.

We had more or less decided to go ahead with surgery when we were told of the Nemours Cardiac Center and Dr. Moore. He explained interventional catheterization as an alternative to surgery and showed us the device that could be used to fill the hole in Kristie's heart. After examining her, he felt she was an ideal candidate for the new procedure.

At first, we were a little skeptical about the catheterization because it was so new and there wasn't much of a track record. But after meeting with Dr. Moore, we had complete confidence that this was the way to go. He gave us an account to read of another patient he had done. We also researched the procedure on the Internet and felt more reassured.

It turned out to have been absolutely the right decision. The procedure took just a few hours. That evening, Kristie was ready to jump out of bed - she was feeling just great. We were in the hospital for less than 2 days. Kristie went home with no stitches, no pain - just a band-aid on her groin where the catheter was inserted. Her follow-up shows that everything has healed perfectly. And naturally, we were especially relieved that we didn't have to put her through open-heart surgery.

We are a family that feels very happy and grateful to have both the Nemours Cardiac Center and Dr. Moore to turn to. - Kristie's parents

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Just found out today that my little niece, Isabella, has a hole in her heart; she's only 16 days old. my bro found out today from the doctors and he's pretty much upset. Little Isabella has to be on medication till the situation gets better. how long will that be, i do not know.

If anyone has any similiar experience or encountered such situations, please do share. Hope Isabella will have a happy ending just like little Kristie! Please do pray for me little niece!