Babies born with complex congenital heart disease often can have associated issues such as extreme prematurity, low birth weight, abnormal genes and significant congenital disorders other than the heart. These associated issues can significantly increase the risk of their heart surgery. An example is a baby who recently received care at Norton Children’s Hospital. He…
When symptoms of heart failure begin progressing or patients start decompensating, there is a brief opportunity for referral to an advanced heart failure center. The American Heart Association calls this the “golden window.” Primary care providers and others should consider referring a patient to the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute’s Advanced Heart Failure & Recovery…
Adam M. Skaff, M.D., has joined Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, as a pediatric cardiologist. Dr. Skaff completed his initial medical training at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. His residency in pediatrics was completed at the University of Virginia. Dr. Skaff completed fellowship training in pediatric cardiology…
Newly diagnosed heart failure patients have a three-month window of care crucial to their likelihood of recovery. The difference can be returning to a normal life versus awaiting a heart transplant or mechanical circulatory support with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). In that three-month window, the heart can respond well to a neurohormonal blockade,…
Lauren R. Albers, M.D., has joined Norton Heart & Vascular Institute to focus on women’s cardiology. Dr. Albers, who completed her fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at the UofL School of Medicine, joins the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Women’s Heart Program. The program, formed in 1995, is dedicated to addressing the high risk of heart…
A new Structural Heart Program offers our patients a truly comprehensive approach, reducing the number of clinic visits and shortening the time from diagnosis to treatment. The Structural Heart Program is a combination of expertise from cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology and imaging cardiology. It includes four surgeons, three interventional cardiologists, three imaging cardiologists and two…
Ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (A-fib) has been shown to be superior to medical management for the maintenance of sinus rhythm. Now, newer ablation techniques are making the procedure safer, more efficient and effective. The STOP AF First and EARLY AF trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine in early 2021 showed cryoablation…
This is a condensed version of “One Family’s Clinical Odyssey From Evolving Phenotypic and Genotypic Knowledge of Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia and Long QT Syndrome,” which is open access and available to read in full here. Life-threatening arrhythmias in apparently healthy individuals can be due to diverse heritable cardiac channelopathies. Ongoing advances revealing the underlying…
A new intraoperative technique during complex congenital heart surgeries allows us to map the location of conduction tissue. This is important, because damage to the tissue during surgery can result in a condition called heart block, where the heart does not revert to its preoperative rhythm. Children with heart block may require pacemakers for the…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We know babies with a congenital heart condition have a much better chance of survival if they are born near a pediatric surgical center. The challenge has been detecting these conditions before birth. Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) has been a problem over the years, with detection in our region in the early…
Often, after lifesaving cardiac surgery for congenital heart defects, neonates require help with breathing using a breathing tube and a mechanical ventilator. Deciding when to extubate, or remove the breathing tube and ventilator, after cardiac surgery is an extremely important decision with profound health implications. Extubation failure in this patient population has been associated with…
It is hard to find a group not been adversely affected by COVID-19 and all its variants in the last two years. One such group that has seen lingering and sometimes fatal effects of COVID-19 infection is athletes — everyone from professional players and student-athletes to semiprofessional athletes and people who simply enjoy exercising. Discussed…