Improved Device Fills Hole in Girl's Heart
By: Joey Hollingsworth
Updated: August 18, 2011
A 5-year-old girl with a heart condition is breathing a little easier now.
Little Maria Sajid was born with a hole between the right and left chambers of her heart.
It's a defect common in children with down syndrome and it can cause breathing problems.
Doctors implanted a new version of a device to fill the hole in her heart. It's a major improvement over earlier devices.
"We tried out the first version in 2002, but it was too stiff so we came up with this prosthesis which is a lot softer and easily forms to the hole in the heart," says surgeon Joaquim Miro.
Maria's checkup was excellent, her heart's working better than ever and doctors say she can run and play without running out of breath.
Little Maria Sajid was born with a hole between the right and left chambers of her heart.
It's a defect common in children with down syndrome and it can cause breathing problems.
Doctors implanted a new version of a device to fill the hole in her heart. It's a major improvement over earlier devices.
"We tried out the first version in 2002, but it was too stiff so we came up with this prosthesis which is a lot softer and easily forms to the hole in the heart," says surgeon Joaquim Miro.
Maria's checkup was excellent, her heart's working better than ever and doctors say she can run and play without running out of breath.
