A satellite feed of video b-roll and sound bites is scheduled for Wed., April 26 at 2 p.m. CDT -- see page two for details -- audio sound bites are posted on the Mayo Clinic Journalists' Website at http://www.mayo.edu/news
ROCHESTER, MINN. -- Michelle Massingale and her newborn daughter, Shealyn Grace, will leave Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital in Rochester on Wednesday morning following a rare double operation on April 10 -- a caesarean section followed immediately by open heart surgery on the mother.
Mrs. Massingale, from Webster, N.C., has done "extremely well," according to her doctors. She was discharged from Saint Marys after a one-week hospitalization. Her daughter, who was born nine weeks premature, is also progressing well in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital (part of Saint Marys Hospital). She will be transferred to Mission St. Joseph's Hospital in Asheville, N.C., to complete her recovery. She is expected to be hospitalized for another month.
Mrs. Massingale has congenital heart disease and had an artificial aortic valve inserted in her heart some years ago. In the course of her recent pregnancy, her cardiologist, Dr. Marjorie Tripp from Asheville, discovered that the valve was severely damaged. It needed replacing but cardiac surgery is generally avoided during pregnancy because of the stresses on the baby caused by anesthesia and bypass surgery. Mrs. Massingale was referred to Mayo Clinic because of Mayo's experience in managing pregnant patients with heart problems and in offering a tightly coordinated team effort.
Planning for Mrs. Massingale's care began even before she arrived in Rochester on March 20. A comprehensive team effort involving cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, obstetricians, anesthesiologists, neonatologists and nurses was critical for the success of Mrs. Massingale's complex surgery. Surgery was delayed as long as possible to allow the baby to grow and develop. On Monday, April 10, with the baby 31 weeks old (nine weeks premature), it was determined that the risk to Mrs. Massingale was too great to wait any longer.
Hartzell Schaff, M.D., a Mayo Clinic heart surgeon, opened the mother's chest first and exposed the heart in order to have quick access to the heart should an emergency situation develop. Kirk Ramin, M.D., a high-risk obstetrician, then performed a c-section. Following delivery, the baby (who weighed three pounds and four ounces) was handed immediately to neonatologist Douglas Derleth, M.D. and the neonatal transport team. Cardiologist Heidi Connolly, M.D., monitored the heart with transesophageal ultrasound during the delivery. Then Dr. Schaff's team replaced the patient's damaged tissue valve with a new mechanical valve and Dr. Ramin closed the patient's abdomen. Martin Abel, M.D., was the supervising anesthesiologist for the complex procedure, which has rarely been performed at Mayo Clinic. The operation lasted about four hours.
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SATELLITE FEED TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Wednesday, April 26, 2000
Open Heart Surgery/C-section
Eastern
Test 15:00-15:05
Program: 15:05-15:30
Central Daylight
Test 14:00-14:05
Program 14:05-14:30
Satellite Coordinates
Ku-Band C-Band
Satellite: Galaxy 7
Transponder: 14 Lower (H)
Channel: 54
Downlink Frequency: 11976 MHz
Audio: 6.2 or 6.8 MHz
Longitude: 91 degrees W
C-Band
Satellite: Galaxy 11 (Former Galaxy 6)
Transponder: 12 (V)
Channel: 12
Downlink Freq.: 3940 MHz
Audio: 6.2 or 6.8 MHz
Longitude: 99 degrees W
Technical Questions Prior to Broadcast ONLY: 507-284-5964 (Mayo Clinic Video Communications)
Satellite Technical Difficulties: (800) 608-3663 (Strategic Television)
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