Archive for cardiac surgery
Four things you should know about MAPCAs treatment
As the first grandchild in her family, Hannah Homan is in demand for frequent visits. She was also the focus of attention last month when she turned 1. It’s been happy times for her parents, Amanda and Brian, but they couldn’t see that far ahead early last year. They had received a worrisome heart diagnosis ... Read More about Four things you should know about MAPCAs treatment
Treating MAPCAs with unifocalization surgery and cardiology care
Children born with a rare form of tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) face a challenging type of congenital heart disease. Known as ToF with pulmonary atresia and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs), the condition often requires a child to have many operations and cardiology procedures to restore blood flow to the lungs and protect their heart from damage. But a team ... Read More about Treating MAPCAs with unifocalization surgery and cardiology care
Unique data revealed just when Mickey’s heart doctors could operate
When Mikolaj “Mickey” Karski’s family traveled from Poland to Boston to get him heart care, they weren’t thinking about pressure-volume (PV) loops. His parents simply wanted him to receive treatment for a complex condition that he couldn’t get back home. Little did they know the mathematical computational power of those PV loops would play a ... Read More about Unique data revealed just when Mickey’s heart doctors could operate
Past patient outcomes could help single-ventricle surgery decisions
When considering whether a child who has a single-ventricle heart defect would benefit more from biventricular repair or the Fontan procedure, heart specialists have lacked a key tool to guide them: data that shows possible long-term health risks of each surgical option. But Boston Children’s heart specialists — who perform biventricular repair more often than any other pediatric hospital — ... Read More about Past patient outcomes could help single-ventricle surgery decisions
Every heart has a story. See how we care for them all.
It’s easy to think of the heart as a common denominator — everyone has one — but no two hearts are alike. Every heart is different. Every heart has a story. For many children and adults, that story includes coming to Boston Children’s for specialized heart care. Some were born with complex congenital heart defects, while ... Read More about Every heart has a story. See how we care for them all.
It’s all in the PV loops: New analytical model could improve circulation assessments before heart surgery
The double-switch operation corrects the congenital reversal of the heart’s ventricles and its two main arteries. It’s a practical way of putting the ventricles into the position they belong so that children with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CC-TGA) can benefit from enhanced circulation. Surgery, though, doesn’t come without risks. Some children’s left ventricles — ... Read More about It’s all in the PV loops: New analytical model could improve circulation assessments before heart surgery
Conduction tissue mapping is shown to significantly reduce heart block
New research by Boston Children’s validates an innovative approach to mapping the heart’s invisible conduction tissue during surgery. Key takeaways Using a catheter to map unseen conduction tissue drastically reduces heart block during biventricular repair surgeries for several heart conditions. Conduction tissue was identified in 96 percent of patients who were mapped. Only 4 of ... Read More about Conduction tissue mapping is shown to significantly reduce heart block
Clara now runs, dances, and sings along to Taylor Swift thanks to a new life-changing heart surgery
The time had finally come. Only two weeks after a transformative heart operation at Boston Children’s, 11-year-old Clara Portnoy stood in a sprinter’s starting position on an open stretch of grass during her school’s field day. Surrounded by classmates and teachers, she was ready to go. Born with a condition in which the structures on ... Read More about Clara now runs, dances, and sings along to Taylor Swift thanks to a new life-changing heart surgery
Jack had a first-of-its-kind surgery with the aim of making it his last
Jack Mangan loves fire trucks. He also loves monster trucks. So you can imagine his excitement about those two things being mashed up as a toy: a fire truck on top of a monster truck. The 4-year-old has an extensive collection of miniature hybrid monster trucks — one has a shark on top; another Scooby-Doo ... Read More about Jack had a first-of-its-kind surgery with the aim of making it his last
Eight years of preparation for a surgical first: a partial heart transplant
Boston Children’s cardiac surgeons have an overriding goal for each patient: If possible, repair their congenital heart defect (CHD) — rather than replace any native heart tissue. Preserving heart tissue often leads to a speedier and more complete recovery and longer-lasting cardiac function. Sometimes, though, a patient’s valve tissue is beyond repair and a bioprosthetic or mechanical replacement valve ... Read More about Eight years of preparation for a surgical first: a partial heart transplant