[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…
Chelsea Rusher was getting a routine 20-week anatomy scan when her provider noticed a complication: Her son, Baylor, would be born with a heart defect. After that appointment, Chelsea, who lives south of Owensboro, Kentucky, chose Norton Children’s for maternal-fetal medicine care. Fetal diagnosis to comprehensive heart care Baylor was born at Norton Hospital in…
The patient A 12-year-old boy born with double-inlet left ventricle (DILV), mitral stenosis, left-sided superior vena cava coronary sinus and pulmonary stenosis: The patient had been through surgical palliation as a baby, leaving him with Fontan circulation. The challenge Over the past decade we’ve learned that single-ventricle Fontan circulation has significant impacts on the heart…
A multidisciplinary team within Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, worked together to save the life of an infant born with structural heart defects and congenital complete atrioventricular block (CCAVB) that led to a slow heart rate. The patient was too small for the traditional path of care, driving the…
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…
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…
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…
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…