Dylan Halverson, 13, loves sports, especially basketball and baseball. A few months ago, however, he was out of energy because of a congenital heart defect.

"I was winded. I was slower, I was behind everyone else," said Dylan.

"He used to play basketball and be able to run up and down the court two or three times before becoming too winded to keep going," said Steve Halverson, Dylan's dad.

Dylan was born with a malformed heart valve and twice had open heart surgery. As he's grown, his donor heart valve has deteriorated, and he faced more surgery.

Dr. Thomas Jones, a pediatric cardiologist, describes the surgery that Dylan was expecting.

"The surgeon has to re-enter and go through scar tissue and that's just technically more challenging but the risks are greater to the patient," said Jones.

Instead, Jones suggested a non-surgical solution with a new type of device called the melody heart valve. It's made from a cow's jugular vein and can be inserted through a catheter and threaded up to the heart. So far, it's working for Dylan.

"What we can say based on early results is that the device is functioning very well. And, compared to historically what we know about surgically implanted conduits, it's holding its own,” said Jones.

Now Dylan's back playing the sports he loves and has plenty of energy. But, like all patients with his condition, he'll require close medical follow-up throughout his life.

The melody heart valve study expects to enroll 120 children at pediatric hospitals across the country. Doctors will follow the recipients of the devices for five years.