Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common birth defects in humans, affecting 8 per 1000 live births with one third of affected children requiring intervention in early infancy. Increasing numbers of survivors combined with developmental expectations for independence, behavioral self-regulation and academic achievement have led to a growing identification of neurobehavioral symptoms in some… Continue Reading
research
Children with CHD are at Higher Risk for Sepsis
What is sepsis? Sepsis (SEP-sis) is a serious condition that occurs when your child’s body overreacts to an infection. It is also called systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) with infection. Infection in sepsis is usually caused by bacteria (germs) that attack the body. Normally, the body’s immune system fights off an infection within the affected… Continue Reading
Vocal Cord Paresis Can Occur After Open Heart Surgery
One of the complications Chloe endured after the Arterial Switch Operation was Left Vocal Cord Paresis (weakness in the left vocal fold). Cardiac surgery represents a risk to normal voice function as the nerves serving the larynx (voice box) are routed near the heart. Damage to this nerve during open heart surgery is not uncommon.… Continue Reading
Milrinone Tied to Tachyarrhythmia After Congenital Defect Repair
After repair of congenital heart defects, children are at higher risk for significant tachyarrhythmias early after surgery if they’re given milrinone, according to a study from Tennessee. Milrinone is often used to reduce the risk of low cardiac output syndrome, the investigators noted in a report published online September 7 in the American Journal of… Continue Reading
Sudden Cardiac Death in Children & Adolescents
Sudden cardiac death in children and adolescents is rare but seems to be more frequent than previously reported. The occurrence of such an event is very devastating. Primary caretakers should be aware of the etiologies and the importance of screening. This article will discuss etiologies of sudden cardiac death in children and adolescents and will… Continue Reading
Preclinical Tests Funded for Pumps for Kids, Infants and Neonates (PumpKIN)
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded four contracts totaling $23.6 million to begin preclinical testing of devices to help children born with congenital heart defects or those who develop heart failure. The four-year program is called Pumps for Kids, Infants, and Neonates (PumpKIN). Each… Continue Reading
Cardiac Ablation
Normally, electricity flows throughout the heart in a regular, measured pattern. This normally operating electrical system is the basis for heart muscle contractions. Sometimes, the electrical flow gets blocked or travels the same pathways repeatedly creating something of a “short circuit” that disturbs normal heart rhythms. Medicine often helps. In some cases, however, the most… Continue Reading
Growth factor enhances heart regeneration without need for cardiac stem cells
Injured heart tissue normally can’t regrow, but researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have now laid the groundwork for regenerating heart tissue after a heart attack, in patients with heart failure, or in children with congenital heart defects. In the July 24 issue of Cell, they show that a growth factor called neuregulin1 (NRG1), which is… Continue Reading
Unifocalization: Repairing a Fourfold Defect All at Once
A small number of newborns suffer from a complex and potentially fatal congenital defect known as tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia and major aorto-pulmonary collaterals. In infants with this defect, the blood vessels that should connect the heart to the lungs instead connect the lungs to the aorta, and the heart itself has a… Continue Reading
Get To Know The Hospital Staff
Physicians Anesthesiologist – a physician trained to provide anesthesia (medicine that makes your child go to sleep) prior to as well as during surgery. Attending Physician – a more senior, supervising physician whose responsibilities include the care of a particular patient or special group of patients. Within teaching hospitals, the “attending” is typically a faculty… Continue Reading
