Archive for cardiac research
MIS-C: The tip of an iceberg? Looking at cardiac care for this rare syndrome
In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, it seemed that children were far less likely to develop serious problems from the disease than adults. Then in mid-March, hospitals started reporting an unusual inflammatory syndrome in children that seemed to be related to COVID-19, now known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). MIS-C can ... Read More
Gene therapy reverses heart failure in mouse model of Barth syndrome
Barth syndrome is a rare metabolic disease caused by mutation of a gene called tafazzin or TAZ. It can cause life-threatening heart failure and also weakens the skeletal muscles, undercuts the immune response, and impairs overall growth. Because Barth syndrome is X-linked, it almost always occurs in boys. There is no cure or specific treatment. ... Read More
Someday, this prosthetic heart valve might be the only one a child needs
More than 330,000 children worldwide are born with a heart valve defect, and millions of others develop rheumatic heart disease requiring early valve replacement. Current prosthetic heart valves are fixed in size, so typically need to be replaced every few years as a child grows. For children receiving their first replacement before age 2, that ... Read More
PICU Up! Program aims to increase mobility in ICUs
For decades, clinicians believed the most appropriate care for critically ill pediatric patients was sedation and rest. But in recent years, the tides have changed. Studies in adults have shown that sedation and immobility lead to increased mortality and morbidity, longer stays in the intensive care unit (ICU), increased risk of ICU delirium, and a ... Read More
New clinical trial hopes to improve long-term outcomes for heart transplant patients
If your child or teenager has had a heart transplant in the last six months, they may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial developed to test a new anti-rejection therapy. In the process, they can play an important part in building a base of evidence that will help advance care for future generations. ... Read More
Healing hearts under a watchful eye
Cardiac surgery is performed using visual landmarks inside the heart. There are specialized conduction tissues that run underneath the surface, which are important for the heart’s rhythmic beating. Cardiac surgeons operate with these landmarks in mind to avoid injury to conduction tissue, but locating these tissues can be challenging. Fiberoptic confocal microscopy technology inside the ... Read More
Tissue models and a gene therapy for a deadly heart arrhythmia
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a leading cause of sudden death from cardiac arrest in children and young adults. Marked by racing, irregular heartbeats, the inherited arrhythmia is typically silent until a child suddenly collapses and faints, at an average age of 12. The trigger is an adrenaline surge, caused by exercise or emotional ... Read More
Trial shows chemotherapy is helping kids live with pulmonary vein stenosis
Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare disease in which abnormal cells build up inside the veins responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart. It restricts blood flow through these vessels, eventually sealing them off entirely if left untreated. Typically affecting young children, the most severe form of PVS progresses very quickly ... Read More
Using newborns’ own umbilical cords as shunts for heart surgery
Cardiac surgery is reducing the use of plastic — starting with an operation for newborns who have life-threatening heart disease generally called single ventricle. Single ventricle is so dangerous because it means only one of the heart’s two ventricles can adequately pump blood. Typically, affected infants undergo open-heart surgery to receive a Blalock shunt, which ... Read More