A new study published in Pediatric Cardiology found transcatheter intervention, including stent placement, is a feasible alternative to surgery for aortic coarctation in infants, with an acceptable adverse event profile. Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a common form of congenital heart disease, accounting for an estimated 5% to 8% of congenital heart defects. Surgery remains…
Ayryn P. Chilton-Gelfo, PA-C, has joined Norton Heart & Vascular Institute. The physician assistant is seeing patients in offices in downtown Louisville, on the Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital and Norton Healthcare – St. Matthews campuses, and on Dixie Highway. Most recently, Ayryn worked at Norton Healthcare emergency departments for 14 years. Before that,…
A multidisciplinary team of interventional cardiologists and a cardiothoracic surgeon performed Louisville’s first successful transcatheter replacement of a native mitral valve this week. The team with Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Structural Heart Program used a transcatheter aortic valve (commonly referred to as TAVR) to replace the patient’s mitral valve that was unable to be…
The criteria for metabolic syndrome include five factors with varying benchmarks for children and adults. Three out of five of the following criteria are necessary for a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in children: Abdominal obesity, defined in children as waist circumference that is more than 90th percentile for gender, age and height High-density lipoprotein (HDL)…
The patient A young adolescent male who participates in competitive football and basketball and with history of recent COVID-19 infection was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at Norton Children’s Hospital. The initial workup was consistent with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and clinical presentation was consistent with severe MIS-C with respiratory, liver…
The American College of Cardiology recognizes exceptional care at cardiology hospitals with its HeartCare Center National Distinction of Excellence award. The award recognizes forward-thinking heart hospitals with goals to advance the cause of sustainable quality improvement. Specifically, the 54,000-member college requires HeartCare Centers to demonstrate their “commitment to consistent, high-quality cardiovascular care through comprehensive process…
Providers are seeing younger children with higher blood pressure, making it more important than ever to monitor levels and ensure parents are aware of the effects on their child’s overall health. “Blood pressure measurements must be a part of all routine wellness checks and clinical examinations,” said Jyothi M. Matta, M.D., pediatric cardiologist with Norton…
Children with a high cholesterol panel or three consecutive elevated blood pressure readings should be referred to a cardiologist for preventive cardiology, and there is a list of additional criteria that primary care providers can consult before making a referral. “A child can have one or multiple risk factors, and we can intervene before the…
Compared with usual care, implantable cardiac monitors (ICM) detected significantly more atrial fibrillation (AF) events in stroke patients who likely would not have been monitored long term for AF otherwise, according to a study published recently in JAMA. The trial, Stroke of Known Cause and Underlying Atrial Fibrillation, STROKE-AF trial for short, looked at patients…
When a pediatric heart transplant patient is well into postoperative recovery, their home pediatrician becomes a closer member of the transplant team with Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. Months after the transplant — and after the child has returned home, whether in Louisville or hours away in Kentucky or…
This has been a momentous year for Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. We’re completing our first full year officially integrated with the former UofL Pediatrics – Cardiology practice, which doubled the size of our team. We now can provide all aspects of pediatric cardiology care in-house, including heart failure…
Preventive cardiologist Amy E. DiPietro, M.D., is joining Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, as part of an expanded effort to arrest and prevent acquired heart disease in children. Dr. DiPietro, who also specializes in caring for children with congenital heart defects, heart failure and heart transplants, will work alongside…