Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, has opened its Fontan Clinic to provide follow-up care to children and adults who have undergone the third of a three-surgery series to treat a congenital single ventricle anomaly. The clinic is a passion for Joshua Kurtz, M.D., a pediatric interventional cardiologist at Norton…
In babies with single-ventricle anomalies, triggering their oral feeding motor skills in the first hours or days of life before their first surgery may reduce dependence on feeding tubes and lead to better outcomes. “Preoperative oral feeding may be a modifiable risk factor that can decrease time of postoperative feeding tube dependence,” Joshua Kurtz, M.D.,…
Victoria A. Statler, M.D., M.S., offers specialized care in a relatively new field: pediatric transplant infectious diseases. Dr. Statler, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist with Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, educates children undergoing solid organ and stem cell transplants and their caregivers on ways to avoid potentially dangerous infections….
A pioneering intervention to treat the typically fatal combination of fetal mitral dysplasia syndrome (which consists of critical aortic stenosis, severe mitral regurgitation and massively enlarged, dysfunctional left ventricle) is showing positive results at Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. For a boy born at 37 weeks weighing just more…
When parents take their babies home in between surgeries for a serious and complex heart condition, they also are leaving with a specially equipped iPad to send critical data through a connection to Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. The device tracks key metrics of the baby’s health and can…
Individuals with mild-to-moderate adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) had poorer neurocognitive performance, most significantly in tests of alphanumeric trail-making, in a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Deficits in alphanumeric trail-making may translate to issues with multitasking, prioritizing, maintaining information in working memory, planning and organizing. “That may be why…
As infectious diseases pose a greater risk for pediatric transplant patients than other kids, Victoria A. Statler, M.D., will follow up with her patients for years to help protect them from infection, and if they do get sick, she can help figure out the best treatment plan. Her relationship with patients and families includes advocacy…
Several potential treatments for diabetes-associated cardiovascular disease have shown promising results in preclinical animal studies and warrant randomized clinical trials to validate their effectiveness, according to a recent study published in Nature Reviews Cardiology. The treatments target myocardial fibrosis, inflammation, oxidative stress and insulin resistance. Pathophysiological factors such as metabolic disturbances, insulin resistance, formation and…
Joshua Kurtz, M.D., and colleagues at Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, are applying sophisticated training and experience to provide some of the newest minimally invasive treatments for babies born with congenital heart conditions. “I want to help push the field forward and improve the future for children and adults…
The affiliation between Norton Healthcare, UofL Physicians – Pediatrics and the University of Louisville School of Medicine makes it easier for children and their families to access comprehensive heart care connected to the Norton Children’s network. At Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, patients benefit from access to outpatient care…
Caring for children born with single ventricle anomalies can be challenging and stressful for families. Before these children go home for the first time, Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, gives family members extensive education to make sure they are both knowledgeable and comfortable. Once the family takes the child…
Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, continues to expand its adult congenital heart disease program to meet the needs of children whose congenital heart conditions require ongoing care in adulthood. Rebecca Smith, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, brings 12 years’ experience as a bedside nurse, the majority of the time with cardiac…