The State - News from Nov. 14, 1988

A baby born with a fatal heart defect underwent successful heart transplant surgery, the 23rd infant to undergo the operation at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Baby Whitney Ray Petersen, born 2 1/2 weeks ago at the medical center, was in critical condition after the 4 1/2-hour surgery, said hospital spokeswoman Anita Rockwell. Rockwell said the infant’s condition was diagnosed before birth as hypoplastic left-heart syndrome, a lethal deformity. The infant’s father, Daymon Petersen, 31, of Murray, Utah, is a maintenance worker for the state of Utah. The baby’s mother, Cynthia, 29, is a nurse. No information about the donor’s family was released. Of the 23 infants under 6 months of age to undergo human heart transplant surgery at Loma Linda, 19 have survived the operation.