The State : Rare Defect Hits 6 Babies

Scientists are trying to discover why a rare birth defect has occurred in six babies born at Washington Hospital in Fremont within the last four months. The heart defect, in which the aorta and pulmonary artery are transposed, reduces oxygen in the blood and is fatal if not corrected by surgery. It normally occurs in one in every 2,000 live births in the San Francisco Bay Area. “You don’t see six cases even in two years or five years,” said Dr. Norma Paragas, head of pediatrics at Washington. Officials are trying to determine if the defects are a statistical phenomenon or have an identifiable cause, such as genetic problems or prescription drugs. Eighty percent of all birth defects have no known cause.