Five-week-old Jayden Von Burg of Oceano is making a complete recovery after enduring nine hours of open heart surgery, family members said.

The operation at Stanford University Medical Center was to repair a life-threatening blockage of her aorta.

“Jayden went into congestive heart failure after a few days of being born,” said her father, Jason Von Burg. “They have some of the best doctors here at Stanford, and she is looking good after the operation.”

Jayden was flown to Stanford via Life-Flight helicopter from Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo on Dec. 9, after experiencing complications from heart murmurs.

Heart murmurs describe the sound made as the blood flows through the heart's chambers or valves.

What made her condition even more serious is that she developed Crohn's disease due to her weakened immune system.

While the exact cause of Crohn's disease is not known, it causes “inflammation in the small intestine ... rectal bleeding, weight loss, and fever may also occur,” according to the Midwest Gastroenterology Center.

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Due to tJayden's health complications, a fairly new procedure had to be performed to deal with her heart problems and complications brought about by the Crohn's disease.

“The operation is called the Ross-Konon procedure and has only been performed by six doctors in the world since 2001,” said Melanie Von Burg, Jayden's mother.

The procedure was performed by Stanford University Medical Center Division Chief Dr. Mohan Reddy.

In 2005, Reddy performed successful open-heart surgery on a 1-week-old who weighed just over a pound.

“We got here that Saturday night and they knew exactly what to do with her almost as soon as we got there,” Jason added.

Jason, an electrician, and his wife, Melanie, have lived in Oceano for several years. They came back home Thursday after almost two weeks of being by their daughter's side.

“The support we have received by friends, family and even strangers has been tremendous ... . We are so lucky that our doctor is so experienced in this area,” Melanie said.

The total medical expenses for the Von Burgs is expected to reach the $2 million mark. The couple had to apply for family leave from work to be by their daughter's side during her stay at Stanford.

“As she gets older, she will probably need more surgery,” Jason said. “We are just so happy that she was able to make it out.”

Hector Trujillo can be reached at 489-4206, Ext. 5008, or htrujillo@santamariatimes.com.

Dec. 26, 2006