Argentina infant to undergo unprecedented heart surgery

Emma, a seven-month-old infant from Gualeguaychú, is scheduled for a highly complex heart surgery at Hospital Garrahan on September 22. The procedure, which addresses severe dilated cardiomyopathy, is reported to be the first of its kind in Argentina and Latin America.

Due to the rarity of her condition, medical specialists determined that a transplant was difficult because of her age and the scarcity of infant donors. Instead, doctors have proposed an advanced open-heart surgical technique previously utilized in Germany and the United States to extend her life and potentially prepare her for a future transplant. Her family has launched a fundraising campaign to cover the costs of their stay in Buenos Aires during the medical intervention.