Identical Twins Get Not-So Identical Heart Repairs

In December of 2008, Lou and Jennifer Insalaco got some traumatic news. Their 8-year-old daughter, Andrea was found to have a heart murmur. Following a recommendation from her pediatrician, Jennifer brought her daughter to the Nemours Cardiac Center at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. They met with cardiologist, Dr. Gina Baffa and were informed that Andrea had an atrial septal defect (ASD)– a hole in her heart. Because of the size of the hole, Andrea would require open heart surgery to fix it.

Andrea and her twin sister Alyssa celebrated their 9th birthday in January and the following week, she was admitted for surgery. She checked in on Monday and underwent a successful surgery on Tuesday. Dr. Chris Derby closed the hole with a Gore-Tex patch. Everything went beautifully and she was transferred out of the Cardiac ICU and into a room with her parents the very next day. She was expected to be released by the end of the week.

Wednesday brought another surprise – snow! With the day off from school, Alyssa and her brother Dan spent the day in the hospital visiting their sister. While there, Dr. Baffa arranged for Alyssa to be tested also, since heart defects can run in families. An echocardiogram was performed that day and the family was given more shocking news – Alyssa had an ASD too. There was some good news, though. Alyssa’s hole was smaller than Andrea’s and could be closed by implanting a device using a catheterization procedure. This procedure consists of threading a thin tube inserted in the groin up to her heart. Through this tube, a device would be inserted to seal the hole. Nemours had a newly renovated Cardiac Catheterization lab and could treat her on-site.

The new catheterization lab had opened in the Nemours Cardiac Center that month, with state-of-the-art imaging capabilities that provide higher resolution of cardiac images and enable the cardiologists to work more effectively and efficiently. Dr. Wolfgang Radtke, Director of the Catheterization Lab, treats patients daily, helping children to avoid cardiothoracic surgery. Most procedures in the catheterization lab are same day admit and discharge. This means a patient’s recovery time is considerably shorter than for conventional heart surgery. In Alyssa’s case, it was assumed that she would only need an overnight stay in the hospital!

The Cardiac Unit was aware how traumatic these last few weeks had been on the family. To help ease their situation, staff went to work scheduling Alyssa’s catheterization procedure for that week. Insurance claims were completed, testing was accelerated, and the procedure was booked for that Friday. While her sister recovered from open heart surgery in her room, Alyssa underwent her procedure in the cath lab. Thankfully, both girls handled their treatments remarkably well. The next day they were both given the green light to go home!

"The staff at duPont Hospital was wonderful”, says Andrea and Alyssa’s parents, Lou and Jennifer. “We were greeted by friendly faces in Admissions, taken to the cardiac unit where all the procedures we explained to us in detail. Andrea was shown pictures of the operating room and the machines they would use, to make her feel more comfortable. The day of the surgery, Dr. Derby, Dr. Baffa and the anesthesiologist came in to explain what was going to happen. Afterward, Andrea was taken to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, where she had her own personal nurse and again we were given details on her recovery procedure.

“Alyssa was given the same greeting and friendly faces including a visit from Dr. Baffa and Dr. Radtke. Everyone at duPont Hospital for Children was great - especially the entire Cardiac Unit. We are truly satisfied with our children’s stay and glad we chose Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. We would recommend it to EVERYONE.”

If you are wondering about their son Dan, he was tested also and has a healthy heart!