In a groundbreaking medical achievement, four-year-old Jack Mangan has become the first patient in New England to undergo a partial heart transplant. This innovative procedure, performed at Boston Children’s Hospital, has given Jack a new lease on life.
A mother’s hope and a doctor’s call
Amy Mangan was playing with her sons in their New Jersey home when she received a life-changing phone call from Boston Children’s Hospital. After two months of anxious waiting, the hospital had found a donor for her son, Jack, who was born with a congenital heart defect. The donor was a young child who had suffered a fatal stroke, and their parents had agreed to donate the heart valve.
The journey to Boston
The Mangans quickly packed up and drove to Boston, arriving at the hospital around 6 p.m. on May 13. Jack’s surgery began at 10 p.m., with Dr. Sitaram Emani leading the team. Over 4 ½ hours, surgeons replaced Jack’s aortic valve and a segment of his aorta with living tissues from the donor.
This partial heart transplant is designed to help children with valve defects by using living human tissue, which can grow with the child, potentially eliminating the need for future surgeries. Dr. Joseph Turek of Duke Health pioneered the procedure in 2022, and Boston Children’s Hospital decided to adopt it following Duke’s success.
Seven weeks post-surgery, Jack is thriving. He proudly shows off his surgical scar and has more energy than ever. His mother, Amy Mangan, expressed gratitude for the care her son received, saying, “I just knew Jack was in the right hands.”
The path to innovation
The success of this procedure at Boston Children’s is a testament to the collaboration and innovation in pediatric cardiac surgery. Dr. Emani and Dr. Turek, who met in college, have maintained a professional relationship that has contributed to advancements in this field.
Jack will continue to have follow-up appointments at Boston Children’s Hospital, but his prognosis is excellent, and his parents are hopeful that this will be his last heart surgery.