Archive for heart
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
COVID-19 and a serious inflammatory syndrome in children: Unpacking recent warnings
On April 27, an alert circulated from the U.K. about multi-system inflammatory disease in children with COVID-19, based on a small rise in the number of critically ill children with this illness in England. Picked up by multiple media outlets, the alert cited features of toxic shock syndrome and incomplete Kawasaki disease, with some children ... Read More
COVID-19 complications in children: What’s behind the recent alerts?
You may have heard the alerts in the news: a new inflammatory syndrome in a small number of children that appears to be related to COVID-19 and affects multiple organs in the body. Doctors around the world have reported features of toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, in which blood vessels, including the coronary arteries, ... 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
When your child has CHD: Advice from parents for parents
“When you enter the world of congenital heart conditions (CHDs), everything can feel new, scary, complicated, and fast paced,” says Claire Poole, mother of Ava, a 17-year-old heart patient at Boston Children’s Hospital. This Heart Month, we asked Claire to kick off a post on our Heart Center Facebook page inviting parents to share their ... 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
Ava’s journey with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
Claire Poole never thought a 10-year-old could have a heart condition. So when her daughter, Ava, slumped against the wall exhausted and complaining of arm pain one Sunday in 2012, Claire assumed she had overextended herself at a sleepover the previous night. “When we got into the car, Ava turned grey and had trouble breathing,” ... 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
PDA transcatheter closure in preemies
The problem of how to close a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature babies is not new. Medications don’t always work and surgery can be associated with substantial risk for these vulnerable patients. This has led many neonatologists to recommend that the PDA not be closed until a child is older, or to wait for ... Read More
Noah the brave: A cross-country quest for a biventricular repair
If you walked down Binney Street next to Boston Children’s hospital this fall, you might’ve noticed something a bit out of the ordinary. Parked on the sidewalk, just out of the way of passers-by, sat a large RV. On the back of the camper, a large photo of a smiling 5-year-old Noah Alderson told part ... Read More