IOWA CITY, Iowa — Five-week-old Ayden Gendreau of Independence is out of the hospital after becoming the first person in Iowa to undergo hybrid heart surgery.

Doctors at Children’s Hospital of Iowa performed the rare surgery to repair his arteries and plug a 6-millimeter hole between chambers of his heart. The technique has been used in Chicago, Florida and elsewhere but never before in Iowa.

The surgery occurred Oct. 22 when Ayden was 20 days old. After recovering and gaining a little weight, he was discharged from the hospital Monday.

His father, Ryan Gendreau, says he and his wife Patsy can’t wait to return home. He says their son is now healthy, adding, “for that, we feel fortunate.”