Baby with Congenital Heart Defect Doing Well After Complicated Heart Surgery at Duke Health
Eli Hodges was born with a life-threatening congenital heart defect that prevented his heart from pumping oxygenated blood throughout his little body. After two innovative procedures at Duke Health, the now four-month-old is back home with his family and growing every day. “There aren’t enough nice things I can say about Duke’s whole team,” said Eli’s father Davis Hodges. “They are doing some great things.”
Living Liver Donor and Robotic Liver Transplant Surgery Save Baby
When baby Kara Pace needed a liver transplant, a friend of the family stepped up to donate part of her liver. After undergoing the first robotic liver transplant surgery at Duke Health, baby and donor are doing well.
Transnasal Endoscopy Eliminates Need for Anesthesia for Children and Teens With Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)
To diagnose and treat his eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), Richard Best, 15, has undergone multiple endoscopies -- procedures in which a narrow, flexible tube with a light and small video camera is inserted through the mouth and fed down the esophagus. Endoscopies usually require sedation, along with the inherent risks of anesthesia and more time in the hospital. In May 2024, Richard became Duke Health’s first patient to undergo a transnasal endoscopy, in which the scope is fed through the nose. No anesthesia is required, and he returned to his normal activities that same day.
