A complex open heart surgery is an undertaking full of inherent risks, during which many things hang in the balance. But, what if some of that unforeseen risk could be mitigated? What if the surgeon could hold your heart in their hands, study every detail, visualize every structure, even practice their operation on your heart before they ever made an actual cut, or even entered the operating room? What if? Recent state-of-the-art developments in 3D imaging and 3D printing have bee...

It has long been thought that the root causes of intellectual disability cannot be treated or cured. However, a growing body of research suggests that a rare genetic condition known as Kabuki syndrome (which we explored in the previous episode) might offer a path forward in being able to treat, and partially reverse the effects of some types of intellectual disability. On this episode of One Rare Heart we speak with a physician/scientist at the forefront of this research, Dr. Hans Bjornsson, ...

Kabuki syndrome is a very rare and unique genetic condition whose wide-ranging effects can touch almost every organ system in an affected person’s body. Remarkably, it shows up differently in every person, and the ramifications can spin seemingly endless and often mysterious medical challenges for individuals and their families. On this episode of One Rare Heart, we hear about the profound ways this disease has affected one family and their daughter. We also talk with a geneticist at Boston C...

What happens when someone is born with only half of a working heart? Remarkably, this is what happens in babies born with a rare congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). Physician/scientist Dr. Paul Grossfeld studies HLHS at his laboratory at the University of California San Diego, and his team has made some amazing, paradigm-shifting discoveries. As you'll hear, these breakthroughs may very well lead to changes in the way this disease is treated, and...

The heart is a remarkable thing. At 21 days after conception, it's the first organ in the body to develop and function, and 99% of the time, everything in its development goes perfectly. However, for 1% of babies, something in this process goes wrong, and the effects can be devastating. Join host Derren Raser as he explores what late author Brian Doyle calls "the wet engine." He also speaks with physicians in order to examine what it means for a child to have congenital heart disease (C...