Michael Colleran

"A wild ride," is how Michael Colleran describes his son Michael's first days of life. Michael was born around 2 a.m. on Jan. 30, 2006. Everything seemed normal at first. An hour and a half later, however, doctors at St. Francis Medical Center in La Crosse, Wis., detected something amiss with his heart. After further testing, baby Michael boarded Mayo One for his first helicopter ride, to Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn.

Michael's problem was a critical narrowing (stenosis) of the aortic valve, which connects the heart with the body's main artery, the aorta. As the heart tries to pump blood, pressure builds up behind the narrowed valve while the blood pressure falls in the rest of the body. Babies with the condition require urgent treatment.

"Newborns with significant aortic valve stenosis will go into shock if not treated promptly," said Allison Cabalka, M.D., a Mayo pediatric heart specialist.

Colleran spoke with Timothy Olson, M.D., another Mayo Clinic pediatric cardiologist, over the phone. "I asked if we could wait until Michael was older, but Dr. Olson said his heart would fail," Colleran said. Mayo doctors recommended a balloon dilation procedure to expand the aortic valve.

Baby Michael was given medication to maintain his circulation as he flew into Rochester. His parents remained in Wisconsin, where his mother Fernanda was recovering from her cesarean section delivery.

"It was a very scary time," said Colleran. "My wife is from Brazil and she's still learning English. She couldn't understand much."

The procedure began at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, when Michael was little more than 1 day old. During a cardiac catheterization procedure, Dr. Cabalka advanced a long guide wire through the femoral artery of Michael's leg up into his heart. A tiny balloon catheter was inserted into the narrowed valve, the balloon was blown up to expand the valve, then deflated and removed. The blockage was relieved. The procedure lasted about an hour and a half.

Fernanda Colleran rushed to join her son the day after the procedure. "They had a Portuguese translator who explained things to her," Colleran said. "It was a good help. My wife has a big family in Brazil so it was great that she was able to pass on information to them. There were two countries praying for us, so we felt we were in good hands."

Michael recovered well and left the hospital five days later. At 5 months old, Michael continues to do well. Some babies with the heart condition require further surgery and sometimes a valve replacement as they grow up.

"Michael's been growing nicely and the valve is growing along with him," Dr. Cabalka says.

At home, Michael enjoys being in his walker and playing with his sister Beathriz. He recently took the second flight of his short life, a trip to Brazil, where he got to meet his many relatives who had prayed for him.