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A partial AV canal diagnosis that seemingly came out of nowhere scared Patrick’s family. But they soon learned he could have a thoracotomy, a unique minimally invasive procedure that is offered by Boston Children’s. After a quick recovery, 3-year-old Patrick is having fun at home in the Florida sun. Read how Patrick and his family travelled to one of the few hospitals that offers the thoracotomy to treat partial AV canal defect and other conditions and give children a fast recovery. ⤵️
Thoracotomy for AV canal defect - Boston Children's Answers
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Patrick's family is happy he received a minimally invasive thoracotomy to treat his atrioventricular canal defect.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
We’re getting ready for Halloween at Boston Children’s Hospital! 🎃👻 A few of our staff members across the hospital shared their favorite memories of the holiday both as employees, and when they were kids themselves.
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Thank you to everyone who came out to the 2026 Fetal Intervention Family Day event! Families from across the center— as well as our medical staff and their families— gathered on a beautiful day of community and smiles! When we first met our families, they were expectant parents of complex fetal conditions that required expert care. Now, we’re so happy to see their children and families continue to grow. Learn more about our Fetal Care and Surgery Center. bostonchildrens.social/3Ubq948
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Boston Children’s is proud to lead THUMPIN’ (Tissue-engineered Hearts Using Multimodal Printing in Newborns), a new research initiative bringing together Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and NTT Research to advance bioengineered heart tissues for infants and young children with congenital heart disease.
For children with complex heart defects, treatment can mean surgery after surgery as they grow. THUMPIN’ aims to change that by developing living cardiac tissues that can grow, function, and adapt with a child - with the ultimate goal of creating a complete, functioning heart.
Led by Drs. Pedro Del Nido and Kit Parker, alongside collaborators Drs. William Pu, Juan Melero-Martin, and Vassilios Bezzerides of Boston Children’s; Dr. Elena Aikawa of Mass General Brigham; and Dr. Joe Alexander of NTT Research, this initiative brings together experts across cardiac surgery, tissue engineering, stem cell biology, and more to help turn this vision into a future treatment option for children.
See the link in our bio to learn more.
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The history of cystic fibrosis diagnosis
In 1955, Dr. Harry Shwachman, head of Boston Children’s Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, developed the first practical sweat test to diagnose cystic fibrosis (CF). It involved encasing the patient’s body in a plastic bag to collect sweat, then using the pictured device to measure levels of salt in the sample. Cystic fibrosis causes sweat to be 2-5 times saltier than average. The sweat test allowed for much simpler and earlier diagnosis of CF, crucial to effective treatment. A version of it is still the main diagnostic tool used today.
Learn more about Boston Children’s Archives Program.