Patient Stories > Carter Ananea

When Ashley Ananea's son Carter was born, he weighed 11 pounds 7 ounces. But doctors quickly realized that something was wrong because he didn't cry and his skin appeared bluish. Once physicians at the hospital where he was delivered determined that he required specialized pediatric cardiac care, he was quickly transferred to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.

At St. Christopher's, tests revealed that Carter had truncus arteriosus, an extremely rare type of congenital heart disease in which a single blood vessel comes out of the right and left ventricles, instead of the normal two. If left untreated, the vessels to Carter's lungs would become permanently damaged and it would become very difficult for his heart to force blood to them. Without surgery, this condition is usually fatal within the first year of life.

Ashley, an OBGYN nurse, had heard of truncus arteriosus in nursing school, but because it is so rare she didn't know much about it. It accounts for about 1 percent of all congenital heart defects, occurring in less than one out of every 10,000 babies born. Ashley says that Carter's physicians helped her understand her son's condition and the surgery he required. They showed her copies of Carter's echocardiograms and EKGs and explained why each test was necessary.

As first-time parents, it was an especially emotional time for Ashley and her husband, but Ashley says that the caring and compassionate team in the Cardiac Care Unit helped them get through the entire experience.

Nine days after Carter was born a cardiovascular surgeon repaired the large hole in his heart using a patch and then separated blood flow to the body from blood flow to the lungs. The surgery was a success and Ashley and her husband were able to take Carter home after he started feeding well.

Now, at 3-months-old, Carter is a happy baby--smiling, cooing, giggling and eating well. He is no longer on medication and the only indication that he had a heart condition is the scar on his chest. Ashley says looking back on the experience and knowing that she and her husband now have a "perfect little boy" makes her smile and brings tears to her eyes.

For more information on the cardiac services available at the Heart Center at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, call 1-877-871-1213.