Nicole suffered from an atrial septal defect (ASD), a hole in the wall (septum) between the heart's upper chambers (atria). The defect allows blood to seep from the left atrium into the right atrium and results in too much blood flow to the right side of the heart and lungs. In people with an ASD, the lungs and the heart work harder, placing them at greater risk for life-threatening events such as stroke and heart arrhythmias.

The high-tech titanium device, called an Amplatzer Septal Occluder, looks like a yo-yo and can stretch, swell, and position itself to plug a hole in the heart. Over time, the implant becomes encased in the body's own heart tissue.

Done under general anesthesia, Nicole's procedure required that a small catheter be inserted into a blood vessel in her groin and up to her heart. Her pediatric cardiologist, L. Stephen Gordon from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, then performed an angiogram to visualize her heart. After measuring the size of the ASD, Dr. Gordon chose an appropriately sized closure device and attached it to a tiny cable that was threaded through the catheter to the site of the defect. The device was pushed out of the catheter so that it rested on both sides of the hole, effectively "sandwiching" the ASD between the two disks of the septal occluder. Once correctly positioned, the device was released. The cable and catheter were removed and the implant complete.

The Amplatzer Septal Occluder was FDA-approved earlier this year to treat certain ASDs in children and adults. Patients treated with the new device avoid the extended recovery period and large scar after the invasive procedure. Similar devices are being tested for other types of heart defects.

Reanna and Freddy Contreras were initially skeptical about the novel procedure, but today they are pleased with the outstanding results for their daughter.

"I would have really regretted it had I not had her heart defect repaired in this way," Reanna said in an interview.