Boy with rare heart condition gets life-saving 3D replica

By Ben Barry

A four-year-old boy born with a "criss-cross heart" has undergone a life-changing operation using a 3D-printed replica of his heart.

Wyatt Keller was born with the rare condition, which means the connections between the upper and lower chambers of his heart are twisted, causing blood to travel through the organ in an unusual crossed pattern.

Doctors closely monitored Wyatt as he grew up, but his energy levels began to decline around the time of his fourth birthday.

Doctors at Cleveland Clinic Children's determined he needed surgery and used a detailed 3D-printed model of his heart to plan the complex procedure.

Hani Najm, MD, chair of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Children's, performed the operation in January 2026.

Wyatt's mom, Anna Keller, from Cleveland, Ohio, said: "Wyatt is still the same joyful little boy he's always been – now with the energy of a typical four-year-old.

"Throughout this journey, I had people ask if we were going to get second opinions or go to see anyone else.

"But there wasn't a moment where it felt necessary, or it really even crossed our minds. We had such confidence in the care we were getting. I can't imagine facing what we did without them."

The procedure involved rebuilding the inside of Wyatt's heart so both of his lower chambers could pump blood.

Dr. Najm used a specialized technique he developed called a ventricular switch, which rerouted blood flow inside Wyatt's heart so both ventricles could be used.

He said the 3D model was a replica of Wyatt's heart and allowed him to understand its unique anatomy before entering the operating room.

"The 3D-printed model was a replica of Wyatt's heart, so even before stepping into the operating room, I could see the anatomy and determine exactly how I want to do the repair," said Dr. Najm.

Wyatt's rare heart anatomy can sometimes occur without significantly disrupting blood flow.

But Cleveland Clinic Children's pediatric cardiologist Malek Yaman, MD, said it more often occurs alongside other heart defects which can eventually cause symptoms and require treatment.

"It is possible to have criss-cross connections without a major disturbance to blood flow in some cases. More often, though, it occurs alongside other cardiac defects that eventually cause symptoms and require repair," said Dr. Yaman.

Following his surgery, Wyatt recovered and was eventually cleared of all physical restrictions.

He is now back to riding his bike, playing T-ball and keeping up with his brothers, while continuing to be monitored by his medical team.

Doctors do not currently anticipate that he will need any further procedures.

Wyatt's father, Jonathon Keller, said the family felt they had everything they needed to get their son through the difficult period.

"It was a blessing we had the right team, the right tools and everything we could have hoped and prayed for to get Wyatt and our family through this," he said.