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Technology, surgery help girl overcome heart defect

Photo from All Children's Hospital

Faith Crump of Tarpon Springs has undergone a series of procedures that allow her to live with tricuspid atresia, a congenital conditions that includes a missing valve in her heart. Faith has been treated at All Children’s Hospital under the direction of pediatric surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Jacobs.

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By KLINT LOWRY | The Suncoast News

Published: April 18, 2009

When you're a happy, healthy 5-year-old, the world is your playground. With her short but intense attention span propelling her around her family's living room like a euphoric hummingbird, Faith Crump of Tarpon Springs could be the poster girl for 5-year-old enthusiasm.

"You really can't tell that she has a heart defect," her mother, Tina, said from the sofa as Faith rushed past her.

Nothing, that is until she happily shows the scar that runs almost the length of her torso, evidence of the work pediatric cardiac and thoracic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Jacobs and the staff at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg did to give Faith a heart to match her soul.

When Tina Crump was five months pregnant, an ultrasound revealed her baby had a congenital heart defect called tricuspid atresia. In layman's terms, the right side of her heart did not fully develop and would be malformed at birth.

"It was a silent ride home," Tina said of her reaction to the diagnosis.

As bad the condition sounded, however, it was operable. It would take three procedures, the first being when her baby was only 3 weeks old. To face this crisis, Tina put her trust in God and in the medical team; that's how Faith got her name.

It helped to have a doctor of Jacobs' caliber leading the team. Jacobs, who grew up in Dunedin, has dedicated his professional life to cardiac care.

In addition to being director of cardiac transplantation for the Congenital Heart Institute of Florida, he is an author, lecturer and associate professor at the University of South Florida School of Medicine and a member of numerous national and international thoracic surgery associations. Jacobs also had the latest in medical technology at his disposal at All Children's Hospital. One particular device that came in handy during Faith's third operation two years ago was something called the INVOS System.

Oxygen deprivation is a constant danger with a condition like Faith had, and it is one of the most dangerous aspects of surgery to repair the problem.

"The most critical time is during the operation and the first 24 hours after," Jacobs said.

The brain is particularly sensitive to lack of oxygen. In an emergency, other organs will begin to shut down, sacrificing themselves for the brain's sake. The INVOS System, created by Troy, Mich.-based Somanetics Inc., provides a noninvasive way to constantly monitor oxygenation anywhere in the body through four sensors that stick to the skin. The sensors use a harmless near-infrared light that can pass through skin and bone to measure the blood oxygen level of deeper tissues, like organs.

FAITH

The unit is small and lightweight. In fact, Jacobs is in the middle of an annual 10-day trip to Jamaica. He is a member of the Caribbean Heart Menders Association of Florida, which performs surgery on children of the island nation who would otherwise have no way to get the life-saving procedures.

Crump is glad All Children's Hospital had the current, kid-friendly model of the INVOS System, which was developed just before Faith's last, most complicated surgery. It helped raise her confidence while waiting through the five-hour procedure

"I basically felt like if she was at the dentist," Crump said.

Once a year, Jacobs and his young patients have what they call "The Heart Party." The last few years, the party has been held at Tropicana Field during a Tampa Bay Rays game.

Last year, Faith stole the show, or tried to, when the youngsters were invited to take the field and sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.

"She kept trying to take the microphone from the young woman who had it," Crump said.

"They said I could sing," Faith replied.

It's the kind of story that will live forever in their family history. For Jacobs, seeing patients like Faith enjoying life is the sort of job perk that can't be measured.

"It's extremely rewarding to see," he said "It's a rewarding feeling for the whole team. She's a very special patient, a very cute, adorable little girl."

Tricuspid atresia at a glance

In tricuspid atresia the tricuspid valve, which normally separates the heart's right atrium and right ventricle, is missing and the right ventricle, which pushes blood toward the lungs, is either underdeveloped or missing.

On its own, tricuspid atresia would keep blood from getting to the lungs and picking up life-sustaining oxygen. Other defects within the heart or holes between the heart chambers or major blood vessels of the heart that normally close after birth remain open, however, providing an alternative path for blood to get to the lungs.

This in alternative path, though, can place extra strain on the heart's left ventricle, causing it to grow unusually large and less efficient.

Symptoms of tricuspid atresia include the blue skin coloration known as cyanosis, rapid and labored breathing, a rapid heart beat and cool and clammy skin.

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