Born with 700 grams

Innovative heart surgery on premature babies in Graz a success

The team of the Clinical Department of Pediatric Cardiology at Graz University Hospital. In the center: little Ilvy with her parents.(Bild: LKH-Univ. Klinikum Graz/Kurt Remling)

The pediatric cardiology department at Graz University Hospital has achieved a minor sensation: four weeks after her birth, little Aglaia had a so-called "piccolo" umbrella inserted into her heart using a catheter. The operation was made possible by a new imaging method, among other things.

Little Aglaia weighed just 700 grams when she was born in the 26th week of pregnancy. She found it difficult to breathe - a so-called "open ductus" put her life in danger. But the cardiologists at Graz University Hospital knew how to help her. Four weeks after her birth, they dared to perform a new type of operation that would guarantee her a healthy upbringing.

On the operating table at 960 grams
"Although ductus closure itself is a relatively common and technically straightforward intervention, it is real precision work," explains Gernot Grangl, Head of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at the Department of Paediatric Cardiology. Just a few weeks ago, doctors would not have performed the procedure on a premature baby weighing less than one kilogram - Aglaia weighed just 960 grams.

In addition, the operation would normally only have been performed via an incision in the chest. In Aglaia's case, however, Grangl inserted a narrow catheter via a groin vein up to the walnut-sized heart, where the small "gap" was closed with a pea-sized "piccolo" umbrella. This surgical method was made possible by a recently introduced new imaging system.

Little Ilvy on her mother's arm.(Bild: LKH-Univ. Klinikum Graz/Kurt Remling)

In future, patients like little Ilvy, who was born with a heart defect called pulmonary valve stenosis, will also benefit from the new system. Should Ilvy need a heart valve replacement later on, this can also be carried out using a cardiac catheterization procedure, explains Grangl. The planned construction of a new children's center at Graz University Hospital in 2029 is also causing much anticipation. As part of the "LKH 2040" construction program, the way has been paved for a new children's center.