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Host Jimmy Kimmel's baby successfully made it through his first round of surgery to repair a slew of newborn heart defects, discovered a few hours after his birth. Get to know more details, here.

Host's Son Was Born With Heart Defects

Jimmy Kimmel made an emotional announcement through a monologue in his show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!." that his son William John was born with rare newborn heart defects: tetralogy of Fallot compounded by pulmonary artesia.

Jimmy Kimmel's baby was diagnosed with the heart defects, when a nurse heard a murmur in his heart and the baby was purplish in color. The baby underwent an emergency heart operation to fix the problem, the Associated Press reported.

The heart defects afflicting Jimmy Kimmel's baby are both congenital heart ailments but occur rarely. Tetralogy of Fallot occurs in 5 out of every 10,000 live births while pulmonary artesia occurs in 1 for every 10,000. Pulmonary artesia occurs when the valve that allows blood flow to the pulmonary artery is blocked or does not form which makes it difficult for the blood to get oxygen for the body.

Tetralogy of Fallot is the more complicated of the two heart defects found in Jimmy Kimmel's baby with four problems: a hole between the lower chambers of the heart, obstruction between heart and lungs, the aorta lies over the hole in the lower chambers and the muscle around the lower heart chamber is thickened. These conditions also make it difficult to oxygenate the blood for use of the body, ABC News reported.

How To Diagnose Condition?

Diagnosis of these heart defects often occur after seeing the tell-tale symptoms of the disease. Usually it is difficult to know while the baby is still in the womb because the oxygenation of the blood occurs through the placenta.

But when the baby is born and starts breathing on its own, some symptoms occur like the baby looking bluish or cyanotic. Just like what happened to Kimmel's baby. It is also an indication when Tet spells occur or when the baby passes out when crying.

The only way to treat these heart defects that are present in Jimmy Kimmel's baby is through a series of surgeries. Although no details of what else was repaired during the baby's first surgery, Jimmy Kimmel announced that the open heart surgery was done to open the blocked valve.

Other pediatric cardiologists believe the baby will undergo another surgery in six months and another in his teens. Stay tuned for more details.