After coming home from the hospital, newborn Nova was struggling to breathe. Her mom, Gabby, noticed that when Nova breathed in, the area under her breastbone would appear to sink in as she tried to bring more air into her lungs. Worried, Gabby mentioned her concern to Nova’s general pediatrician, who detected a heart murmur after listening to Nova’s heart. He referred her to a local pediatric cardiologist.
After running tests and examining her, the cardiologist diagnosed Nova with an atrioventricular canal (AV canal) defect, a condition in which the center of the heart does not form properly, leaving a hole between the ventricles in the septum of the heart (known as a ventricular septal defect, or VSD).
Due to this condition, Nova had increased blood flow to her lungs, and the blood traveling through her small body lacked enough oxygen for her to grow and thrive. A baby with AV canal can sometimes experience heart failure.
In February, the cardiologist began a course of observation and prescribed other treatments, while referring Nova to St. Christopher’s Hospital’s board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, Mohammed S. Ghanamah, MD. After examining the six-month-old and meeting with the family, the decision was made to proceed with surgical repair of the child’s heart without further delay.
"I was really scared when they said she would need surgery, but I knew it would help her in the long run," Gabby said. "Dr. Ghanamah explained the surgery in detail so we could understand what was happening."
The surgery went well, and Dr. Ghanamah was able to repair Nova’s heart. "The surgery made all the difference in the world for her," Dr. Ghanamah said. "Once we closed the hole in her heart, she was a completely different baby."
But Nova’s heart was used to working so hard from pumping extra blood that her blood pressure kept going up after the surgery. The team in St. Christopher’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) were successful in bringing the pressure back down to normal levels. Nova remained in St. Christopher’s PICU on a feeding tube for two weeks while her condition stabilized. With a two-year-old at home, Gabby could not stay with her overnight.
"I really wanted to be there, but I knew the PICU nurses would take really good care of her, and I appreciated their help," Gabby said. "I was impressed with how kind everyone at St. Christopher’s was, and how they were supportive of the whole family. They answered every question Nova’s dad and I had and helped us manage the stress of the situation. One of the nurses, Nick, was especially kind and helpful."
Once the feeding tube was removed and Nova was able to eat on her own, she was cleared to go home. Shortly afterward, Mom and Nova had a follow-up visit with Dr. Ghanamah and received a positive update: her heart was functioning normally with no residual defects.
Today, Nova is happy and flourishing. She just had her nine-month checkup, and her doctors are happy with how she is growing and gaining weight. Nova will remain under the care of her cardiologist and general pediatrician to monitor her progress.