Maryland baby with fetal heart defect thriving following surgery after birth

BALTIMORE -- Jessica and Brandon Hiken were expecting their first child when Jessica's 20-week sonogram showed a serious diagnosis.

"Devastating," Brandon said, in response to the sonogram.

"I broke down right away," Jessica said.

Their child had a serious heart defect, Transposition of the Great Arteries, or TGA.

"That's really when the two great vessels that come off the heart are transposed and switched," Maternal and Fetal Medicine Dr. Katherine Goetzinger of the University of Maryland Medical Center said.

TGA often goes undiagnosed, although, Dr. Shifa Turan says staff at UMMC, with its state-of-the-art equipment, catches it nearly 100% of the time.

"When you tell them there is something seriously wrong and we need to operate the baby as soon as the baby's born, it's always devastating news," Dr. Turan, Director of the Fetal Heart Program, said.

The Hikens' early diagnosis gave their care team a chance to complete genetic testing, make a plan, and prepare a surgical team for baby boy Brooks.

"When Brooks was on the inside, he gets everything he needs from mom. And, it's only when he's delivered and we clamp and cut that umbilical cord that he really has to work on his own," Dr. Goetzinger said. "(Birth) is really when the challenge begins."

Brooks cried at delivery and soon stopped breathing, turning blue. The complex defect was now in the hands of the team at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital.

"It's a complex defect for surgeons, as well," Dr. Turan said.

Brooks had seven hours of open-heart surgery. Now, three months later, he is home and healthy—a testament to early detection.

"Some high moments, some low moments. But, mostly, a learning moment to teach other people we know that even though you can go through bad times during pregnancy, there's always hope," Brandon said.