DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – Local doctors and a happy family celebrate a successful first-of-its-kind surgery at Duke Health.
In the spring of 2022, a Harnett County baby, Owen Monroe, was the first person to receive a partial heart transplant at just 17 days old. Owen is now two years old. But what led him to be full of life now is a procedure that had never been done before.
Owen was born with a condition called Truncus Arteriosus. He also had one artery with a valve leak.
“You’re on fight or flight mode and you’re just, all you care about is just whatever I can do for my son,” said Nick Monroe, Owens’ dad.
Dr. Joseph Turek and the team at Duke recommended a partial heart transplant to Owens’ parents, Tayler and Nick Monroe, even though the procedure had never been performed before.
CBS 17 asked Dr. Turek what led to performing the procedure when it had never been done before.
“There’s really no good solution to taking care of children in that state,” said Dr. Turek, Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Duke Children’s Hospital. “So we decided that this might be the best option for Owen, based upon some of the some of the data we had from the laboratory.
Dr. Turek said prior to partial heart transplant procedures, there was a 50 percent mortality rate at the first operation.
After having a first success with Owen, the procedure has now been performed 13 times at four centers around the world, including nine procedures at Duke. This includes domino heart transplants.
As for Owen, he’s graduating from physical therapy this month, doesn’t have as many doctor appointments and continues to cruise through life.
The procedure starting with Owen, is saving thousands of lives.
“We really like to be a sounding board for these new families coming along, because it’s a scary place to be the unknown,” said Owen’s mother, Tayler Monroe. “But look how far it got us. And look what’s happened. The greatest thing and cardiac pediatric cardiac history happen because we said yes.”