Story perspectives

Surgeon Prepares for Critical Heart Transplant for Baby Luna

1/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

Dr. Maureen McKiernan, a surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, prepared for a heart transplant for 6-month-old Baby Luna after finalizing a 16-point surgical plan.
The operation removes the heart from a deceased infant and transplants it into the patient, with a 90-minute window to start beating.
In the United States, about 100 infant heart transplants occur annually.
The procedure coincides with a 7% mortality rate before hospital discharge.

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Story summary

Dr. Maureen McKiernan, a surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, prepared for a heart transplant for 6-month-old Baby Luna after finalizing a 16-point surgical plan.
The operation removes the heart from a deceased infant and transplants it into the patient, with a 90-minute window to start beating.
In the United States, about 100 infant heart transplants occur annually.
The procedure coincides with a 7% mortality rate before hospital discharge.