Partial Heart Transplantation for Severe Pediatric Semilunar Valve Dysfunction

The donor heart will be recovered and the new heart valve will be removed from this heart by the clinical team. The child will be scheduled for an emergent operation once the donor heart valve is deemed acceptable. The child will have general anesthesia during surgery. This is a state of unconsciousness, which is carefully controlled by the anesthesiologist with a mixture of very potent drugs, to prevent or lessen pain. The child will have a partial heart transplant using the donated heart valve to replace the dysfunctional heart valve. Expected hospital stay will range from weeks to months. The medical care after surgery is performed by the child's clinical team. This type of re-operation could similarly be required after a standard heart valve replacement.