Archive for cardiology
Constant improvements make the Ross procedure a safe aortic valve replacement option
Cardiac surgeons understand that innovation isn’t always about invention. Improving something can be just as transformative. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Boston Children’s cardiac surgery team is seeing lasting positive outcomes in patients after making adjustments over the years to the Ross procedure, a last-option treatment for aortic valve disease that hasn’t always been accepted by ... Read More about Constant improvements make the Ross procedure a safe aortic valve replacement option
Whether she’s embracing school, sports, or music, Lindsey shows how Williams syndrome can be managed
One of the first things Lindsey Franco will tell you is, “I like being me. I like being happy.” The 19-year-old has a lot to be happy about. She attends a post-high school transition program that helps young adults expand their social and life skills. There, she does all the things she enjoys, including playing ... Read More about Whether she’s embracing school, sports, or music, Lindsey shows how Williams syndrome can be managed
Mending injured hearts: Lessons from newborns?
When the heart is injured, as in a myocardial infarction, the damaged heart muscle cannot regenerate — instead, scar tissue forms. Cardiomyocytes, the heart muscle cells that generate contractile force, are lost for good. Yet, in mouse models, the hearts of newborns regenerate readily after injury. How are newborn hearts able to recover? What are ... Read More about Mending injured hearts: Lessons from newborns?
The people and advancements behind 75 years of Boston Children’s Cardiology
Boston Children’s Department of Cardiology has more than 100 pediatric and adult cardiologists, over 40 clinical fellows learning the routines of heart care in a major hospital, 12 echocardiogram rooms dedicated to testing the function of a child’s heart, and five labs equipped to perform advanced catheterization procedures. Many other numbers could highlight the dedication that the ... Read More about The people and advancements behind 75 years of Boston Children’s Cardiology
After surgery for heart condition tetralogy of Fallot, James is all joy
Warriors come in all shapes and sizes. Some even smile. In the Irvine family, the lead warrior is a happy one: 6-month-old James, whose cheeriness hides the difficult medical journey he had in the first few months of life. “I have been told by many people that James is an inspiration,” says his mom, Heidi. ... Read More about After surgery for heart condition tetralogy of Fallot, James is all joy
Finding ways to reduce the financial and social costs of pacemakers
As the number of complex heart operations has increased over the years, so have cases of postoperative heart block, a form of arrhythmia that often requires a pacemaker and more surgery. Heart block occurs when unseen conduction tissue — the cells and electrical signals that control the beating of a heart — is injured. It is a ... Read More about Finding ways to reduce the financial and social costs of pacemakers
Twenty years after a groundbreaking biventricular repair, Faith gives back by helping children with CHD
Faith Brackett doesn’t remember every detail of the time she was among the first children to have a new life-saving heart surgery. She was 7, after all, when she had a biventricular repair — a procedure that creates two functioning ventricles in a heart relying on just one. But she does remember how the surgery finally gave ... Read More about Twenty years after a groundbreaking biventricular repair, Faith gives back by helping children with CHD
Ductus arteriosus stenting could help severely ill infants with pulmonary arterial hypertension
Treatment for infants who have severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is sometimes limited. Because they haven’t physically matured, a procedure could increase the risk of serious complications, including failure of the heart’s right ventricle. A Boston Children’s Department of Cardiology study found an interventional therapy that’s potentially safe and suitable for those critically ill small infants: the placement of ... Read More about Ductus arteriosus stenting could help severely ill infants with pulmonary arterial hypertension
A lifetime of treatment inspires Ruth to advocate care for others
Ruth Ngwaro offers guidance to children who have heart disease. Perhaps her most useful bit of advice is telling them to not look too far ahead in their lifelong journeys and instead focus on what they can do each day. She would know: Throughout childhood and well into adulthood, Ruth was in and out of ... Read More about A lifetime of treatment inspires Ruth to advocate care for others
Helping aspiring clinicians understand a virtual heart before they work with a real one
Jonathan Awori, MD, MS, MFA, isn’t embarrassed to say it took him a long time to completely understand the intricate workings of the heart. He says he isn’t alone; many aspiring doctors and nurses don’t immediately grasp the heart’s complexity from two-dimensional textbooks or even 3D-printed models. Now that he’s a pediatric cardiology fellow at ... Read More about Helping aspiring clinicians understand a virtual heart before they work with a real one