One Incredible Day

When Wendy gave birth to her third child, Andrew, she expected a normal delivery by Cesarean section at Medical City. But ten hours after Andrew was born, he had severe difficulty breathing.

An EKG revealed that Andrew suffered from a congenital heart defect known as TAPVR (total anomalous pulmonary venous return). The vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood back to the heart from the lungs were improperly connected. As a result, oxygen wasn’t distributed properly throughout Andrew’s body, making it hard for him to breathe and making his skin appear blue.

Wendy is grateful that she decided to deliver Andrew at Medical City, just as she did with his two older siblings, because Andrew didn’t have to survive an emergency flight to Medical City Children’s Hospital from another facility. Medical City remains the only hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with the specialists and technology available to handle all the routine and critical medical needs of both moms and newborns.

Pediatric congenital heart surgeon Dr. Eric Mendeloff and his team were able to immediately begin a surgery that lasted three and a half hours. During the surgery, Dr. Mendeloff skillfully rewired Andrew’s tiny pulmonary veins to allow blood to travel through his heart properly.

Only days after the delicate procedure, the only evidence of Andrew’s ordeal was a razor-thin incision on his chest. Today, he’s as healthy and as active as any other child.

To learn about other experiences that parents and children have had at Medical City Children’s Hospital, read our other success stories.