Heart of the Matter

Kapi'olani's cardiac team helps a little girl with big problems

Mellorrie Gander faced a rough start in life. She was born with tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect.

When Mellorrie was only two-months-old she underwent her first cardiac surgery. Carlos Moreno, M.D., director of Kapi'olani's Pediatric Cardiac Program, created an emergency shunt to improve the blood flow from Mellorrie's tiny heart to her lungs.

By the time she was four, Mellorrie had undergone two more surgeries. The first of these, performed at Kapi'olani by Dr. Moreno and John Lamberti, M.D., (then a pediatric cardiac surgeon at San Diego Children's Hospital), uncovered an abnormal coronary artery. The next surgery, performed by Dr. Lamberti in San Diego, was to repair the heart defect.

Everything seemed fine until she was nine, when Mellorrie's parents noticed she was becoming increasingly lethargic and moody. Mellorrie had outgrown the original conduit, or tube, put in when she was three, and now she needed an adult-size version to increase blood flow to her lungs. Fortunately, the operation could be done at Kapi'olani during "Heart Week," where Dr. Lamberti (now at Stanford Medical Center), Dr. Moreno, and an experienced team of Kapi'olani pediatric specialists performed the delicate procedure.

"Our program at Kapi'olani provides open-heart surgery for the repair of moderately complex congenital heart defects, and our results are comparable to those at the best centers on the mainland," says Dr. Lamberti.

Since the start of "Heart Week" in 1995, the number of cases has grown steadily. "As a result of the program, many families have been spared the added stress and anxiety of traveling to the mainland for open-heart surgery," says Dr. Moreno.

After her procedure, Mellorrie felt healthy enough to begin taking tennis lessons.

"This operation made a big difference for her," says Mellorrie's mom, May Gander. "She is happy and finally able to participate in sports, just like her brother." The Gander family gives Mellorrie's care high marks. "Mellorrie had been coming to this hospital since birth, so the staff are like family to us. The wonderful doctors and nurses were always there for us, trying to ease our ordeal," says Mrs. Gander. "The care we received at Kapi'olani was definitely as good as the mainland, and of course, being home is always better!"

This year in Hawaii, it's estimated that one percent of babies will be born with heart defects. Ten years ago, families had to travel to the mainland for treatment. Today, Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children performs some of the most technologically advanced pediatric heart procedures available, including open heart and minimally invasive techniques, which means less trauma and a faster recovery. Kapi'olani teams with leading specialists from San Diego Children's Hospital, UCLA and Stanford to provide the best care for our infants, children and teens - without the stress and anxiety of being away from home. For more information, call 535-7000.