Durham Reporter

A medical team at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina, has successfully performed the world's first living mitral valve replacement. This procedure was made possible after an adolescent girl received a heart transplant and donated the healthy valves from her original heart to save two other girls.

Douglas Overbey, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine, explained that current pediatric heart valve replacements often use non-living tissue or mechanical valves, which do not grow with the child. "There's not a good valve option for kids," Overbey stated. He noted that these options typically require multiple future surgeries and carry risks.

The groundbreaking surgery was performed on 14-year-old Margaret Van Bruggen from Charlotte. She received a valve from 11-year-old Journi Kelly of Wilson after Journi underwent a full-heart transplant. Another valve was donated to 9-year-old Kensley Frizzell from Pembroke.

Joseph Turek, M.D., Ph.D., Duke’s chief of pediatric cardiac surgery, who led the procedure alongside his team, remarked on the significance: “To think that the lives of three girls could be saved after one full-heart donation is amazing.”

The living mitral valve replacement is categorized as a partial heart transplant—a method pioneered by Duke in 2022. This approach allows for utilizing healthy valves from donated hearts and expands benefits to more recipients given limited donor availability. The hospital has conducted 20 such transplants under FDA guidance.

Journi's sudden need for a heart transplant arose when she experienced unexpected heart failure following stomachache complaints. Her stepmother Rachel Kelly shared their experience: “Before Journi’s surgery, we were told the doctors were hoping to try a new procedure and asked if we were willing to donate Journi’s old heart.” The family agreed upon understanding how it could aid other children.

Margaret needed urgent valve replacement due to endocarditis causing large holes in her mitral valve. Her mother expressed gratitude for her daughter's bravery during hospitalization: “She was so brave, so I knew I had to be brave too."

Kensley’s father Kenan Frizzell reflected on their experience with hope this might be her last necessary surgery: “The whole situation is extraordinary... as one of the families that benefited, we can’t be anything other than grateful.”

Research supporting this surgical advancement received backing from both the Brett Boyer Foundation and Graeme McDaniel Foundation.