Ivy's Story

Meet Ivy, a Cook Children's cardiology patient with a complex heart condition.

Ivy was born with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries and dextrocardia. This is an extremely rare congenital heart defect. The defect was diagnosed through a fetal ultrasound, or echocardiogram, when her mother, Elizabeth, was 35 weeks pregnant with Ivy. Elizabeth was referred to Cook Children's Fetal Echo program, led by Lisa Roten, M.D., Cook Children's cardiologist, after her obstetrician noticed an abnormality during a regular prenatal ultrasound.

Ivy had her first open heart surgery at 14 days old. At 19 months, she had a 2nd open heart surgery to repair her heart. Because of the complexity of her heart condition, the exact procedure to repair her heart is extremely rare. Cook Children's cardiothoracic surgeons Drs. Tam and Nikaidoh performed a complex atrial switch operation, along with an aortic translocation. The aortic translocation is also called the Nikaidoh procedure, named after Dr. Nikaidoh. Together, Drs. Nikaidoh and Tam have the largest combined experience of aortic translocations in North America.

View a time lapse video of Ivy's heart printing.

Before the surgery was performed, cardiologists and surgeons were able to print a 3-D model of Ivy's heart before going into the operating room to repair her defects. This allowed them to develop a more informed surgical plan before entering the operating room. The image of her heart was generated using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) technology through Cook Children's cMRI program, led by Steve Muyskens, M.D., Cook Children's cardiologist. Ivy is the first cardiac patient at Cook Children's to benefit from this 3-D printing technology.

A recent evolution of Dr. Muysken's cMRI program is the new 3-D Planning and Printing of Congenital Heart Disease (3-D aPPROaCH) lab which combines 3-D printing technology with 3-D virtual viewing software in order to plan surgeries for patients with complex heart defects, like Ivy's. In addition to planning complex procedures, this technology can also be used to educate parents on their child's condition. Parents can have the opportunity to hold a model of their child's heart in their hand as their child's heart condition is being explained.

Cardiologists at Cook Children's believe that the possibilities are endless with this new technology. For Ivy, it has allowed her to get back to the business of being a toddler and enjoying life with her 3 sisters and 1 brother. Ivy will continue to be monitored by Cook Children's cardiologists and will eventually transition into our Adult Congenital Heart Disease program.

Cook Children's Physicians Involved in Ivy's Care:

Steve Muyskens, MD

Cardiology

4.9 out of 5

31 Ratings

Accepting new patients

682-885-2140

Lisa Roten, MD

Cardiology

Accepting new patients

682-885-2140

Vincent Tam, MD

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Accepting new patients

682-885-6400

Ivy's Journey

Cardiology programs helping to heal Ivy

Fetal Echocardiography

A fetal ECHO is a safe, noninvasive test. Long before your baby is born, the doctor can see how the heart is developing and if there are serious issues, work with you to create a treatment plan that is best for both you and your baby. If critical medical care is required, a fetal ECHO can help you plan ahead.

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Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMRI)

An important diagnostic tool, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) is also a powerful tool in interventional cardiac catheterization, as well as continued care for kids, teens and young adults with heart conditions.

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3D aPPROaCH Lab

This cutting-edge technology allows cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons the ability to fully understand a patient's complex heart defect and plan their procedures and surgeries to the finest of details.

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Cardiothoracic Surgery

Cook Children's cardiothoracic surgeons help diagnose and treat patients with difficult heart and cardiovascular defects. Our Cardiothoracic Surgery program provides complete care for newborns, infants and children with heart and cardiovascular defects.

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Adult Congenital Cardiology

Our adolescent and adult care program is designed to meet the unique needs of teens and adults, transitioning them from pediatric care to the complex care necessary to ensure optimal outcomes throughout their lives.

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Your generosity can impact children like Ivy

If you are interested in supporting Cook Children's Cardiology, please contact Cook Children's Health Foundation at 682-885-4105.