Six-month-old baby successfully recovers from heart transplant
Alejandra and Abdiel Mendez never expected that their first child would spend new born life in the hospital.
In June, the couple noticed that their 3-month-old baby, Eliana, was vomiting and lethargic. They called her pediatrician and brought her in for a check-up in near their home in Palm Beach Gardens. The doctor prescribed medications to treat the symptoms and sent them home.
But the first-time parents were concerned that something more serious was ailing their baby girl.
They followed their instincts and took her to a nearby emergency room that night. By doing so, they saved their daughter’s life.
“When we brought her to the emergency room, we were told she was a day or two from dying,” said Abdiel. “We want people to not underestimate common symptoms.”
Doctors examined Eliana and determined she had a life-threatening heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, which causes the chambers of the heart to enlarge, often times leading to heart failure if left untreated.
In order for her to survive, she needed to be transferred immediately.
The Mendezes decided that the best place for Eliana was Holtz Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Though Holtz Children’s is about 75 miles away from their home in Palm Beach County, it is home to the Children’s Heart Center, an internationally respected center for the comprehensive care of children and adults with congenital and acquired heart disease.
Eliana was airlifted to Holtz Children’s that same night where University of Miami Health System – UHealth pediatric cardiologists, Paolo Rusconi, MD, and Eliot R. Rosenkranz, MD, were waiting.
After a thorough evaluation, physicians determined Eliana needed a heart transplant and she was placed on the wait list for a donor heart.
“She was always smiling, the happiest patient in the ICU,” said her father. “You would’ve never known she was waiting on a heart transplant.”
After waiting two months, Eliana received a new heart on August 21. The successful surgery was performed by Dr. Rosenkranz and a team from the Miami Transplant Institute at Jackson Memorial Hospital. However, Eliana’s new heart did not work sufficiently after the transplant and she was supported for approximately five days by Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a form of mechanical heart.
“Our program is the most experienced in the region with transplant and ECMO,” said Dr. Rosenkranz. “Eliana’s good outcome is in no small part a reflection of the team’s experience in this type of advanced heart care at Jackson.”
Eliana was recently discharged from Holtz Children’s – and, doctors say, her prognosis is good.
“It has been a miracle after miracle with her,” said Eliana’s father. “We are grateful for the support we have received from the hospital staff that have taken care of our baby and helped our baby stay alive.”
The Mendezes hope Eliana can return to Holtz Children’s in the future as a volunteer—a way to show her gratitude to the place where her life was saved.