Utah newborn home after rare open-heart surgery at less than 2 weeks old

OREM — Eight-week-old Benny Halbleib is calm, smiley and content in his parents' arms — a welcome sight after a frightening start.

"He wasn't even a day old yet... Initially, the nurse noticed he had a heart murmur," said Benny's mom, Samantha Halbleib.

An echocardiogram followed.

"Then he turned to the nurse and said, 'Get AirMed,'" Dustin Halbleib recalled.

Benny was airlifted from Orem to Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.

His parents soon learned their newborn had severe aortic stenosis, a condition in which the aortic valve is too narrow and restricts blood flow from the heart.

Doctors initially tried a less-invasive procedure. The family said it appeared to work, but complications followed, including a staph infection that severely damaged Benny's aortic valve.

Ultimately, doctors determined the valve needed to be replaced.

"It's not anything any parent wants to hear — 'Your 2-week-old needs open-heart surgery, and today's the day,'" Dustin Halbleib said.

Dr. Adil Husain, the division chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery and co-director of the Intermountain Primary Children's Heart Center, said Benny's case was especially complex.

"Having to replace the aortic valve in a baby is very rare, with a lot of complexity in terms of complications that can arise," Husain said.

Surgeons performed a Ross procedure, using Benny's own pulmonary valve to replace his damaged aortic valve, then replacing the pulmonary valve with a donor valve.

The operation was successful, but Benny remained in the hospital for five more weeks as he recovered. In all, he spent the first seven weeks of his life in the hospital.

The family's experience comes as Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals, in partnership with University of Utah Health, earned national recognition in all 11 pediatric specialties evaluated in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-27 Best Children's Hospitals rankings.

Seven specialties ranked among the nation's top 25 programs, including cardiology and heart surgery at No. 11.

Dr. Adam Ware, the division chief of pediatric cardiology and co-director of the heart center, said caring for children with heart disease requires collaboration across multiple specialties.

"None of us, as an individual, can take care of a child with heart disease," Ware said. "We all come together and work really hard for these kids and their families."

For Benny's parents, that care was deeply personal.

"We weren't just a number to them," Samantha Halbleib said. "Benny was a person with a family."

Benny is now home with his parents and two older siblings.

Months before he was born, the Halbleibs chose the name Benjamin.

"After Benjamin in the Bible," his mom said. "He's a warrior and a fighter."

And for their son, the name fits.

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