'Piggybacking' cardiac op proves a success
Wednesday 15th July 2009
A pioneering cardiac procedure which saw a girl have another heart attached to her own has proved a success.
At the age of two, Hannah Clark - who was born with a rare heart condition - had a five-month-old girl's heart grafted on to hers in a treatment which was dubbed 'piggybacking'.
She had the heart for over ten years, which allowed her own to rest.
Complications meant that the transplanted organ had to be removed when she reached the age of 12.
However, her own heart has now begun working again.
In a press conference, her mother said: "She just loves life. She doesn't think about tomorrow; she thinks about today and lives life to the full. She gets up every morning smiling and it's very, very rare to see Hannah upset."
She was treated at Great Ormond Street hospital, which conducts research in a variety of clinical disciplines, including cardiac critical care.
Written by Megan Smith
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