Maryland Boy Makes History with Groundbreaking Heart Valve Surgery
An 11-year-old boy from Gaithersburg, Maryland is now a global medical pioneer after becoming the first person in the world to have an artificial heart valve replaced with a living one from a donor heart.
The groundbreaking procedure, known as a partial heart transplant, was performed at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Not only is it the first surgery of its kind in the region—it’s the first ever done anywhere in the world.
The patient, Preston, was born with congenital heart disease and had already undergone several surgeries in his young life. Doctors say the partial heart transplant offers hope for a better quality of life and potentially fewer surgeries in the future.
Unlike artificial valves, which wear out and don’t grow with a child, a living valve has the potential to grow along with Preston—something surgeons and his family are celebrating as a game-changer in pediatric heart care.
This historic procedure represents a major leap forward in treating congenital heart defects and may open the door to more innovative surgeries in the years to come.
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Photo: Getty