PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — It’s so small, not even the size of a dime! But a teeny, tiny device is helping the hearts of some of the most vulnerable patients: preemies.
Patent ductus arteriosus, better known as PDA, is a congenital heart condition where a small blood vessel that links the aorta to the main lung artery does not close after birth. It’s common in premature babies.
While in some cases, PDA can be monitored and managed, other times that “hole” needs to be closed.
“If it’s large, especially relative to the patient, then it can create a number of problems. Mostly it puts extra stress on the heart and extra strain on the lungs,” said Dr. Peter Guyon, a pediatric interventional cardiologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
Guyon has been using a newer, smaller device for a few years to treat PDA, avoiding surgery. Something that wasn’t always possible.
“We’d have to transport these little, tiny babies to this room that was designed for adults or bigger patients,” said Guyon. “These babies in the NICU, we didn’t actually have devices that were small enough that could do this.”
Now it’s performed at bedside, using technology to access the heart through a vessel in the leg, all minimally invasive, with zero incisions.
The device “plugs” in and expands in place, closing the vessel. It stays there as the body naturally heals around it.
JDCH is one of just a few hospitals participating in this trial, with the hopes this device will be approved for use in babies, allowing this procedure to become the standard.
“Our surgeons are excellent. They can do amazing things, but you’d like to avoid that as much as you can so we feel like this is a very good alternative,” said Guyon.
He says in the last two years, he’s done about 30 procedures at the bedside. All have been successful with the device not causing any long term issues.
Click here to find out more about this device and trial.
Local 10 viewers can also click here to donate to Local 10 anchor Jenise Fernandez’s “Woman of Impact” campaign with the American Heart Association.
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