Louisiana

New noninvasive heart surgery saves New Orleans twins. They graduated Kindergarten in May.

Published

10 months ago

May 31, 2025

New noninvasive heart surgery saves New Orleans twins. They graduated Kindergarten in May.

Ashley Lane gave birth in July of 2019 to twins 17 weeks before her due date.

Both boys had patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA, a congenital heart defect where a blood vessel that allows blood to bypass the lungs in the womb, fails to close after birth — along with other health concerns like lung damage.

“With being so premature,” Lane said. “There were so many what-ifs and question marks and things in the air of what would be wrong with them.”

The Metairie family waited three weeks for the holes in their children’s hearts to heal on their own.

They did not.

Then, the family met with Dr. Ivory Crittendon, a pediatric cardiologist and the co-chief of pediatric cardiology at Ochsner Medical Complex in New Orleans.

Crittendon wanted to try a new FDA-approved method and device, the Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder, to close the twins’ hearts using a catheter in the leg.

The Lane family said yes.

“That first day with Dr. Crittendon set the tone for our whole story. We definitely had such a sense of peace,” Lane said. “When your kids are born that young, and everything that you planned was totally out of your control, and you had to learn to let go very, very, very quickly and trust strangers with your most prized possession, it’s very vulnerable.”

One week later, the twins were taken into back-to-back procedures as among of the first patients in Louisiana to receive treatment.

The previous treatment for PDAs was to perform open-heart surgery, where the doctor would create an incision along the side of the body and crack the chest of the child.

“I think there’s been enough data through all the years to prove that open-heart surgery probably wasn’t the best form of PDA closures,” Crittendon said. “Because a lot of kids struggled for a number of reasons afterwards.”

PDAs are more common in premature babies than mature babies, according to Crittendon. The more mature a child is born, the more likely the hole in the blood vessel is to close on its own.

In this new procedure, Crittendon and his team at Ochsner insert a catheter into the leg of an infant as small as 700 grams (the twins were 770g and 817g at the time of the surgery). Then, through the catheter tube, the surgeon places a device that will facilitate tissue to grow around the hole in the heart.

“It starts the natural process of the PDA closing,” Crittendon said. “It basically augments that process and tissues, sort of envelops around the device and closes the PDA on both sides.”

According to the Crittendon, the most impactful part of the noninvasive procedure is that the recovery time is exponentially higher for the very small, vulnerable patients.

“We take out that hollow tube and take out that small IV and just leave a Band-Aid on the leg,” Crittendon said. “And there’s really no real recovery from the procedure, which is the best part.”

The Lane twins’ hearts have since grown over the devices, and, after five years of checkups, they have gotten their approval from Crittendon to wait another three years for their next visit with the doctors. They both graduated kindergarten in May.

According to Lane, the twins are doing every sport they can get their hands on — soccer just ended, and they are looking to pick up baseball this summer.

“We know that there are so many babies out there that are not as fortunate, and families that are not as fortunate to have this procedure,” Lane said. “This is their second time around playing all these sports. They are really getting the hang of it and enjoying their sporting activities and being competitive against each other as twins.”

Treating patients in the future

The team of physicians, nurses and anesthesiologists that performs the new Piccolo procedure is based at Ochsner Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.

While the team has made moves to travel between hospitals within New Orleans to perform the live-saving procedure, they have also transported patients from around the state and Mississippi for treatment.

“That’s something that we’ve been proud of that we’ve been able to do,” Crittendon said. “However, we’ve sort of led the nation on trying to bring the therapy to the babies, rather than transporting them.”

Going forward, the team hopes to expand their ability to perform the procedure to patients outside of New Orleans, to hospitals within the health system across the state.

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Louisiana

Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron cleared after no threat found

Published

11 hours ago

March 29, 2026

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Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron cleared after no threat found

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – The Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron has been cleared after a bomb threat was made Sunday, according to a spokesperson from Venture Global.

The bomb threat came in around noon on Sunday, according to officials. Louisiana State Police hazmat and bomb squads were called to investigate.

No shelter in place was deemed necessary and no roads were closed, according to the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office.

A Venture Global spokesperson released the following statement:

“Venture Global was made aware of a bomb threat at our CP2 site and immediately activated our established emergency response protocols. We are coordinating closely with state and local authorities as they investigate. The safety and security of our employees and the surrounding community remain our highest priority.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Children’s Museum hosts fifth annual Mud Fest

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana Children’s Museum hosts fifth annual Mud Fest

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — For the fifth consecutive year, the Louisiana Children’s Museum hosted its annual environmental festival, Mud Fest, on Saturday, March 28.

From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., parents and their little ones had the opportunity to have fun in the sun and enjoy the “highlight” of the museum’s spring season.

This event was inspired by the iconic New Orleans festival culture which includes good food, live music and a nice, high-energy atmosphere. Mud Fest is tailored for the “youngest environmental stewards” to have fun and make all the mess they want with mud.

Due to the Crescent City being surrounded by wetland habitats, we interact with water daily in both our rural and urban communities.

The festival generates positive associations with our region and also builds critical thinking skills for future educators, engineers, fishermen and farmers. According to LCM, engaging with nature, water and plants “builds a child’s confidence and fosters a lifelong connection to the Earth.”

“As the Louisiana Children’s Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary, events like Mud Fest reflect our long-standing commitment to hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and connects children to the world around them,” LCM CEO Tifferney White said.

This year, Mud Fest had performances from young musicians of the School of Rock, the Louisiana Sunspots and more. There were also a storytelling stage and various family-friendly activities for visitors to engage in.

Mud Fest partnered with Pontchartrain Conservancy, STEM NOL, Whimscapes and Sugar Roots to put on the event.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

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Louisiana

Lana Del Rey gives rare look at modest Louisiana life

Published

2 days ago

March 28, 2026

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Lana Del Rey gives rare look at modest Louisiana life

Lana Del Rey has enjoyed a low-key life with her gator tour guide husband Jeremy Dufrene in Louisiana and the talented singer recently gave an intimate peek into their relationship.

The 40-year-old Young And Beautiful hitmaker (born Elizabeth Grant) took to her Instagram to post a gallery celebrating the swamp guide’s 51st birthday.

The couple looked just as in love as ever following their wedding in September 2024.

Del Rey shared several recent videos from their modest life together including a cute selfie of the couple by the ocean while she let her natural beauty show by going make-up free.

She also posted a cute video of Dufrene loading up the truck with plants they had just purchased from Home Depot and when he realizes he is being filmed, the Louisiana native flashed a big smile and proudly posed with a Jack-o’-lantern pot.

Del Rey also shared a snap of her hand gripping his wrist as her massive engagement ring could be seen in full view.

Lana Del Rey has enjoyed a low-key life with her gator tour guide husband Jeremy Dufrene in Louisiana and the talented singer recently gave an intimate peek into their relationship as she shared a tribute to him on his 51st birthday

Another snap showed Del Rey wearing one of Dufrene’s tour guide shirts featuring his name embroidered above the pocket.

Weeks ago the musical artist gave what appeared to be a glimpse into her married life in her new video.

Del Rey’s Insta Stories video opened with footage from the 1933 Betty Boop cartoon Snow-White, though it focused on a section starring the character Koko the Clown as he’s turned into a ghost.

Then the video abruptly cut to shaky handheld footage of Del Rey dancing with an ecstatic smile plastered on her face.

The two have kept a relatively low profile since their wedding day but did make a notable appearance last month at the pre-New York Fashion Week Ralph Lauren show on February 10.

The happy couple even stopped for a romantic kiss as they walked the red carpet for the iconic designer.

The couple first met in 2019 during one of Dufrene’s swamp excursions and reconnected years later, before tying the knot in September 2024.

In August, Del Rey revealed how she fell for her husband, a Louisiana bayou tour guide who spends his days surrounded by alligators.

Join the debate

What do you think Lana Del Rey’s choice to marry a swamp guide says about fame and real love?

She posted a cute video of Dufrene loading up the truck with plants they had just purchased from Home Depot and when he realizes he is being filmed, the Louisiana native flashed a big smile and proudly posed with a Jack-o’-lantern pot

Del Rey also shared a snap of her hand gripping his wrist as her massive engagement ring could be seen in full view

Another snap showed Del Rey wearing one of Dufrene’s tour guide shirts featuring his name embroidered above the pocket

Del Rey also posted a video of the cover of their wedding album

‘Like many people who work with large, dangerous beasts, Jeremy has a calm, strong presence,’ Del Rey told W magazine.

‘When we met, I realized pretty immediately that I loved him, but that it might get difficult because of what I was bringing to the table,’ she continued.

Del Rey added that Dufrene reassured her from the start: ‘I work with alligators — I have tough skin.’

And true to his word, he listened through all the drama: ‘All the things that made me upset — and there were so many! — he would just listen and say, “You be you — and I’ll just love you more.”’

Weeks ago the musical artist gave what appeared to be a glimpse into her married life and her new video

The two have kept a relatively low profile since their wedding day but did make a notable appearance last month at the pre-New York Fashion Week Ralph Lauren show on February 10

The happy couple stopped for a romantic kiss as they walked the red carpet for the iconic designer

The couple first met in 2019 during one of Dufrene’s swamp excursions and reconnected years later, before tying the knot in September 2024

Tying the knot in 2024 didn’t make the spotlight any gentler.

Del Rey recalled the intense scrutiny they faced, with drones reportedly hovering over their home to snap photos of their wedding and early days as newlyweds.

‘If I was him, I would have been nervous — my emotions were more overwhelming than usual, and my usual emotions can be quite overwhelming!’ she said with a laugh. ‘But Jeremy was fine. He told me, “Don’t worry about me.”’

And when it comes to music inspired by love, fans have already heard a peek. ‘Stars Fell on Alabama. I open my show with that song — that’s it, so far,’ she revealed.

‘Jeremy is the most impactful person in my life. He’s quiet in public, but around me he talks all the time.’

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