Mending hearts with coordinated care
Joe Pankey
The first few months of life were tough for Joe Pankey.
He was born with a heart valve abnormality, which created a heart murmur. At a routine follow-up exam, doctors discovered Joe also had a severe case of Scimitar syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect misdirecting blood flow in his heart. An obstruction in his veins further complicated his case. Joe needed heart surgery.
Joe’s family brought him to University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital, where he was treated by pediatric cardiologist John Bass, M.D., and pediatric cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon James St. Louis, M.D. In October 2008, 9-month-old Joe underwent surgery. He was cooled to 18 degrees Celsius and placed on heart and lung bypass while St. Louis repaired his heart.
“The most difficult part was waiting for Joe to come out of his six-hour surgery,” says Joe’s mom, Kari Pankey. “But, honestly, everybody at the hospital was so amazing. I wish I could take them all home with me!”
Kari Pankey praises the doctors for taking so much time to educate her and keep her informed of Joe’s condition and surgery. “The benefit of an academic teaching hospital is that they have to be so thorough. You know nothing’s being missed,” she says.
Although Joe will always have diminished capacity in his right lung, his doctors expect him to live a long, full life.
The University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital is nationally recognized for its pediatric heart care. It was recently selected as one of 10 North American centers to participate in the Food and Drug Administration’s clinical trail of the Berlin Heart® EXCOR Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device, a pioneering innovation to help bridge to cardiac transplantation in children.
