Designed to grow: New pediatric heart valve could spare children lifetime of surgeries

(BPT) - A newborn's heart will grow roughly 15 times larger in volume by the time adulthood is reached — a remarkable transformation that presents an extraordinary challenge for pediatric heart surgeons treating congenital defects such as aortic and pulmonary valve disease.

Heart defects affect approximately 1% of babies born in the United States each year, or roughly 40,000 infants. For many families, these diagnoses mark the beginning of long and arduous journeys. Children born with complex valve defects often require repeated surgeries and other treatments as their hearts grow, exposing them to risks and potential complications and their families to overwhelming emotional and financial strain.

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