In the News Archive

When Rodney was just 35 years old, his primary care physician at another health system noticed he had a heart murmur and diagnosed Rodney with moderate mitral valve prolapse. Rodney’s condition—in which one of the heart’s valves doesn’t close properly and allows blood to back up into the heart—seemed manageable. He continued regular checkups and stayed active by hiking, interval training, and scuba diving. He was living life without major limitations or symptoms.  

When Paige’s water broke at 37 weeks pregnant, she was ready to meet her baby. It was a markedly different feeling from earlier in her pregnancy, when, at 25 weeks gestation, Paige underwent a surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital to repair a defect in her baby’s spine. With tears in her eyes, Paige was wheeled back to the operating room, hoping that doctors wouldn’t have to deliver her baby early because of the procedure.

Last year, St. Louis mom Sara Schwartz discovered she was pregnant with not one but two babies –– identical twin girls. Schwartz, who was already a mother of three (to children ages 12, 11 and 9) felt excited about her “bonus babies” on the way, despite it being a high-risk pregnancy.

Growing up, Christopher Bryant couldn’t compete in sports or run due to a heart murmur. When he tried to keep up with the other kids, he’d pass out. At 9 years old, Chris underwent heart surgery and doctors discovered he had a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital heart defect. He learned to take care of himself due to his condition, but his symptoms — like swelling in his lower extremities — only worsened. Eventually, he learned he had severe heart failure.

The paired-kidney exchange program saved the lives of Pat Conway and Marti Simon. Two pairs of prospective donors and recipients are matched together to "exchange" donor kidneys.

Dan survived a stroke. Read how Barnes-Jewish Hospital interventional neuroradiologist Rano Chatterjee, MD and his team helped him get back to normal.

On June 28, 2019, the life of Kamryn Dehn was about to change for the better. That morning, John Clohisy, MD, a Washington University physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, performed extensive surgery on Kamryn’s right hip, putting an end to more than 10 years of pain and suffering due to developmental dysplasia.

After being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at a young age, Josh's future was uncertain and the impact on his life as an adult was significant. Surgeons at Barnes-Jewish Hospital performed a double transplant – liver and lungs – to help Josh return to the activities he loved.

Michael tried various treatments to control his a-fib with little success. Washington University physicians had the answer to long term relief by using cardiac mapping, an innovative treatment developed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Beth, a young mom, found out she needed a transplant. Her kidneys were quickly failing. Scott, who knew nothing about Beth, decided he wanted to donate a kidney to someone who needed it more than he. Two surgeries and a little less than a year later, the two met on a baseball diamond for the first time.