Heart Expert Explains New Nonsurgical Treatment for Most Common Heart Defect in Premature Babies

WHAT:            
Newswise — In a new video posted today, Cedars-Sinai heart expert Evan Zahn, MD, explains a new treatment for babies born with patent ductus arteriosus, a “hole in the heart,” the most common structural heart defect in newborns. The video is available for streaming and downloading here. 

WHO:              
Zahn is director of the Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program in the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. He developed the new minimally invasive technique to mend the condition without subjecting tiny patients to the risks of open-heart surgery.

WHY:              
Patent ductus arteriosus is a condition in which a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus, which routes blood around the baby’s lungs prior to birth, does not close naturally as it should within a couple of days after birth. If untreated, the opening can lead to abnormal blood flow and cause a range of symptoms, heart failure and lifelong complications. It can result in brain hemorrhage and death in premature infants.

HOW:               
In the video, Zahn explains how he uses ultrasound technology to guide a tiny catheter through a baby’s artery and deliver a small plug that closes the hole in the heart. A recent study by Zahn, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, showed that the new procedure carries less risk than open-heart surgery and doesn’t expose PDA babies to the side effects – including kidney failure – of medication used to treat the condition.                                                         

WHERE:          
The video can be viewed on the Cedars-Sinai YouTube Channel. For additional downloading options, or to arrange an interview, please contact Sally Stewart at 310-248-6566 or [email protected]                                                   

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