Dell Children’s cardiac team saves the life of an 11-year-old

Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease at Dell Children’s Medical Center and UT Health Austin announce the first pediatric life-saving durable mechanical heart pump in a small child, a first for children with heart disease in Central Texas.

Eleven-year-old Grace Jennings, from San Antonio, was born with a congenital heart defect which required multiple cardiac operations early in life. On September 18, 2019, Grace was admitted to Dell Children’s in heart failure and subsequently suffered a cardiac arrest. She underwent nearly two hours of staff-performed CPR at Dell Children's to save her life. Five days later, Grace underwent open heart surgery at Dell Children’s to implant a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which is a mechanical pump that supports the circulation and partially replaces heart function in people who have weakened hearts. While this type of operation is frequently performed in adult patients, Grace is the first pediatric patient in Central Texas to undergo this operation and her case was particularly complex, requiring a 10-hour operation to receive the life-saving device.

Grace will be discharged from the hospital after spending more than three months at Dell Children’s. The LVAD will help Grace recover and become stronger while she waits for a heart transplant.

The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease at Dell Children’s is led by one of the world’s leading pediatric heart surgeons, Dr. Charles Fraser, Jr. He, along with his team of dedicated cardiologists, congenital heart surgeons, anesthesiologists and cardiac critical care physicians have created a world-class pediatric cardiac and congenital heart disease program for infants and children.

The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease is a focused pediatric and congenital heart program leveraging the power of the partnership between Dell Children’s, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin and UT Health Austin, the clinical practice of Dell Med. The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease was established on September 1, 2018 at Dell Children’s.