Iranian baby with heart defect admitted to Portland hospital for life-saving surgery

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Iranian infant in need of life-saving heart surgery has arrived at a Portland hospital with her family after being temporarily banned from coming to the U.S. by President Donald Trump's immigration orders.


The 4-month-old girl, Fatameh Reshad, was admitted Tuesday morning to Oregon Health & Science University's Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

According to KPTV in Portland, OHSU doctors said the results of initial testing are "promising."

"Fatemeh looks well. Our tests this morning have confirmed her diagnosis and the urgent need for treatment,” said Dr. Laurie Armsby, associate professor of pediatrics and interim head, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital, OHSU School of Medicine. "As we suspected, her heart condition has resulted in injury to her lungs, however the studies today indicate that she has presented to us in time to reverse this process.”

The girl's family chose Portland because of proximity to relatives. The girl's grandparents and uncle live in Portland.

Iranian doctors told the child's parents weeks ago that she needed surgery.

Fatemeh has a life-threatening heart defect known as transposition of the great arteries, or TGA.

TGA with ventricular septal defect affects approximately 2 in 10,000 newborns each year.

Doctors said the standard treatment for TGA in the U.S. is heart surgery.

The family previously had an appointment in Dubai to get a tourist visa. But it was abruptly canceled after Trump announced his executive order banning the entry of people from seven countries with Muslim majorities, including Iran. The girl and her parents had to return to Iran.

A Seattle judge issued a temporary restraining order on the ban the same day a waiver was granted for the baby.