Bambino Gesù Hospital uses innovative technique to treat one-kilogram infant

Medical specialists at the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome have successfully treated a premature infant, referred to by the pseudonym Luca, using an innovative minimally invasive transcatheter procedure. Born in Sardinia at 29 weeks with a weight of only one kilogram, the infant suffered from a severe congenital heart disease that made traditional open-heart surgery too risky due to his extreme fragility.

The procedure, coordinated by Dr. Gianfranco Butera of the Interventional Cardiology Unit, involved using ultra-thin catheters to insert a stent and two pulmonary flow regulators into the blood vessels without opening the chest. This strategy was designed to stabilize blood flow—ensuring sufficient oxygen reaches the body while preventing excessive blood from overloading the lungs—to allow the infant to grow.

Three months after the intervention, the infant's weight has more than doubled to 2.5 kilograms, and he is breathing without invasive mechanical ventilation. The medical team, including Dr. Andrea Dotta from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, aims for the infant to reach a target weight of three kilograms before undergoing definitive corrective cardiac surgery.