Nicholas' Surgery

Nicholas - the Future Heartbreaker

Nicholas' Surgery

Nicholas had open-heart surgery at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. He had a hole in the atrium and a cleft in the mitral valve. His defect is a partial canal defect. To learn more about this defect, here is an article that was written by Nick's doctor : http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1685.htm#section~author_information

Here I am getting ready for surgery. This was early Thursday morning. I have my heart pillow and my stuffed animal.

I'm getting sleepier.

The picture below is Friday after surgery. I'm in my own room.

By Friday night I was feeling good enough to get Mom with the silly string. Pawpaw and Aunt Kathy are next.

I couldn't get away. They got me back with the silly string!

Click below for Texas graphics

I'm going for my final x-ray so that I can get out of here.

Who would have believed that I would have surgery on Thursday, be in my own room on Friday, and leave the hospital on Sunday? We went to the Ronald McDonald House to stay since the doctors did not want me to be an hour away from the hospital. We were supposed to stay here a week but we came home on Wednesday. Mom was afraid I'd get hurt playing with the other kids. I just couldn't understand why she didn't want me to slide down the slide or race the other kids. The McDonald House is a really neat place for kids that have cancer, surgery, or are waiting for transplants. The next time you visit a McDonald's, why not drop your change in their box for Ronald McDonald Houses? Thank you, Nicholas.

Click below to go to the Ronald McDonald House

Care Pages are an easy way to keep friends and family updated on your child. When your child is in the hospital , recovering, or going for tests or procedures, Care Pages make it easy to keep everyone informed.

Nicholas in his red "Survivor's" hat at the 2004 Brazoria County Heartwalk.

Click above for Special Heart Graphics

Nicholas has an ASD - Atrial Septal Defect. His defect is sometimes referred to as a partial canal defect. A partial or incomplete atrioventricular septal defect is one in which the part of the ventricular septum formed by the endocardial cushions has filled in, either by tissue from the AV valves or directly from the endocardial cushion tissue, and the tricuspid and mitral valves are divided into two distinct valves.

The defect is, therefore, primarily in the atrial septum and mitral valve. This type of atrial septal defect is referred to as an ostium primum atrial septal defect, and is usually associated with a cleft in the mitral valve that may cause the valve to leak. A hole in Nicholas’ heart was patched with a piece of the pericardium that surrounds his heart. The cleft in the mitral valve was also stitched during his first open heart surgery. Because the mitral valve continued to leak, Nicholas was put on Enalapril and Digitek (lanoxin) in an attempt to delay the time before he would again need surgery to repair or replace his valve. In 2005, Nicholas' doctor decided that he could quit taking the digitek.