HJBR Sep/Oct 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE  I  SEP / OCT 2025 39 Ernesto Mejia, MD Congenital Interventional Cardiology Manning Family Children’s A Bright Future Ahead After one night in the hospital, Sophia was discharged. She is now home, doing well, and back to her regular life with a bright childhood ahead. She just finished softball, is back in gymnastics, and is en- joying spending time with her siblings. She loves doing hair and makeup and dreams of being both a hairdresser and a baker. While we don’t have custom-made de- vices to manage an ASD, we offer every option approved in the U.S. Having access to the right tools ensures that every child gets the best fit, and Sophia’s case is a great example of that. n Ernesto Mejia, MD, is a pediatric interventional car- diologist at Manning Family Children’s and assistant professor of pediatrics at LSU School of Medicine. Mejia earned his medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten and completed pediatric residency at the State University of NewYork in Brooklyn. Mejia completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology with Western Reserve University and Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and then an advanced fellowship in pediatric interventional car- diology with the University of Colorado at Children’s Hospital of Colorado in Aurora. Board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, Mejia is a member of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Pediatric Interventional Cardiology Society, American Heart Association, and Ameri- can Academy of Pediatrics. Mejia has participated in numerous research projects and has presented both nationally and internationally throughout his extensive training. MANNING FAMILY CHILDREN’S recent- ly became the first hospital in Louisiana to successfully perform a procedure us- ing the newly FDA-approved Occlutech Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Occluder. This pioneering technology offers children with congenital heart conditions a safer, less-invasive treatment option. The Occlutech ASD Occluder is de- signed to close atrial septal defects, holes in the wall between the upper chambers of the heart. These defects can lead to serious long-term health problems if left untreat- ed. Unlike traditional treatment options, the Occlutech device’s flexible, low-profile design allows for easier, minimally inva- sive placement, making it especially well suited for pediatric patients. The OcclutechASDOccluder is intended for transcatheter closure of ostium secun- dum–type ASD. Patients indicated for ASD closure have either echocardiographic ev- idence of ostium secundum–type ASD, or clinical evidence of right ventricular vol- ume overload. As a softer, lower-profile implant, the Occlutech ASD Occluder reduces risks for small children. The Occlutech gives providers more options to tailor care and ensure that each child gets the best fit for their unique anatomy. The combined flex- ible wires produce a conformable device to facilitate a natural deployment position that is implanted using an intervention- al approach as an alternative to complex, open-heart surgery. First Surgical Case in Louisiana The landmark procedure was performed in May on 8-year-old Sophia Bourke, who was referred to Manning Family Children’s after a heart murmur was detected during a routine exam. When Desmond Baird’s daughter, So- phia, started complaining of chest pain last year, Desmond never imagined it would lead to heart surgery. What followed was a complex diagnosis, a specialized pro- cedure, and a story of resilience from a young girl who’s been through more than most her age. In 2023, when Sophia was 6, doctors dis- covered a heart murmur and a small hole in her heart. A cardiology screening in the spring of 2025 discovered something more serious, an ASD. Sophia would need heart surgery to repair the defect. The family was referred to Manning Family Children’s, and Sophia was identi- fied as an ideal candidate for the Occlutech ASD Occluder. Her heart procedure was performed onMay 12, 2025, making Sophia the first patient in Louisiana to receive the device. The minimally invasive procedure pre- vented Sophia from undergoing what alternatively would have been extensive open-heart surgery. This also allowed for a much faster recovery. The procedure took only 27 minutes from start to finish, and Sophia was back with her mother after three hours following recovery from anes- thesia.