Pediheart: Pediatric Cardiology Today

This week we speak with congenital heart surgeon T. Konrad Rajab of Arkansas Children's Hospital about a recent report he co-authored on piglet experiments on partial heart transplantation. How did transplanted heart valves grow in comparison to standard homografts and how did the valvular function differ with time? Is there a minimum dose of immunosuppresion that can protect these valves and can this dose be lower than full heart transplantation immunosuppresion therapy? Is partial heart transplantation considered a potential life-long approach to valve replacement or mostly something used to allow for growth of valves during childhood? What do we know about the world's limited experience in humans of this approach? Dr. Rajab shares the answers this week in an exciting 'sci-fi' episode. The future is now.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacbts.2024.10.015

This week we speak with Professor Vladimiro Vida of U. Padua about a recent ECHSA large scale study assessing surgical outcomes of newborn cardiac surgery in Europe. What trends have become apparent in the past 10 years and why are outcomes generally better overall in this complex patient group? Why have outcomes for single ventricle surgery not improved as much as other newborn surgeries? Is there a relationship between center volume and outcomes? What interventions might result in improvements in outcomes of Norwood palliation? Dr. Vida provides his insights this week. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2024.07.023

This week we speak with Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Audrey Dionne about a recent work she co-authored on the topic of outcomes of ablation in the early postoperative period following congenital heart surgery. Who is a candidate for this intervention and what were the outcomes? How commonly were serious complications encountered and how successful were these procedures? Dr. Dionne reviews these and other aspects of this novel review this week. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2024.08.061

This week we venture back in time to 2023 to review the results of the update of the Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial, specifically SVR III. How are HLHS patients are faring post Norwood at age 12? What is the overall transplant-free survival rate in this group? Are there differences in survival seen at 12 years between BTTT shunt patients and RV-PA conduit shunt patients? How do they compare in exercise capabilities? What about rates of PLE or arrhythmias seen? Are there interventions that may improve outcomes going forward? These are amongst the questions reviewed this week with the first author, Dr. Caren Goldberg who is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.123.065192

This week we speak with Professor Robert Hamilton of the University of Toronto about a recent case-control study in which his team identified a novel auto-antibody targeting a fetal cardiac protein that proved to have excellent sensitivity and specificity for the identification of fetuses that would develop heart block in fetal life in the offspring of women with maternal connective tissue disorders. How did the team in Toronto choose these particular target proteins? How well did this test perform in predicting heart block in pregnancies where there had been a prior pregnancy affected by block? Does this test possibly mean that fewer fetuses of mothers with connective tissue will need surveillance? Dr. Hamilton shares the details of this fascinating study this week. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2665-9913(25)00092-xWe also speak with Drs. David Ezon and Kenan Stern about the upcoming 16th Annual Mount Sinai Imaging Symposium - Conversations in Care: Cardiac Conundrums & 3D Echo Workshop which will be taking p

This week we move into the arena of preventive cardiology when we review a recent report from the team at Northwestern and Princeton on the impact of early childhood food insecurity on cardiovascular health of people in young adulthood. How does food insecurity in young childhood impact the cardiac health of adults? Why is most of the impact seen on BMI but not other measures of cardiovascular health. How can food programs that support improved food and nutrition security work to improve long term cardiovascular health of children and adults? Do the benefits of such programs outweight their costs? Dr. Nilay Shah of Northwestern University shares his deep insights into his work and these questions this week.DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2025.1062

This week we share the inspiring tale of Ms. Kayla Billington, a pediatric and neonatal critical care nurse who met a young boy with tetralogy of Fallot named Wavamuno Patrick in Uganda while working for an NGO hospital. Ms. Billington tells the story of meeting Patrick and struggling to save his life and how this simple relationship of love and caring led her to help many in Uganda with congenital heart disease. Ms. Billington speaks of partnering with Professor R. Krishna Kumar of the Amrita Institute and, in today's episode, both Ms. Billington and Dr. Kumar share the inspiring tale of how they have worked together to help save the lives of children from Uganda at Amrita. Prepare to be amazed by their tale. Ms. Billington's efforts highlight the critical need for congenital heart care in Uganda and many other nations in Africa. For those interested, you can learn more about Patys Project and how you can help at:https://patysproject.org

This week we take a trip back in time to reminisce about what it was like to be a fellow under famed pediatric cardiology pioneer Dr. Alexander S. Nadas. Who better to tell us about what life was like under this giant than 4 present-day giants who lived through it and got their start working for Professor Nadas. Joining the podcast in a live recording from the Boston Children's Cardiology 75th Anniversary Alumni Reunion on May 3rd are Dr. Roberta Williams, Dr. John Barry Keane, Dr. Patricia Rompf and Dr. Thomas Hougen. All have many stories to tell and they share their remembrances and insights in this special episode honoring the memory of the founder of the cardiac program at Boston Children's Hospital - Dr. Nadas. 

This week we delve into the world of exercise physiology when we review a recent paper by Dr. Adam Powell of Cincinnati Children's Hospital on the relationship of hand grip strenth to other measures of cardiovascular and skeletal muscular health and fitness. How does hand grip strength correlate with CPET measures of exercise abilities in children? How might this inexpensive test help identify patients who might benefit from exercise therapy? Will hand grip strength one day be as ubiquitous as blood pressure in the evaluation of our CHD patients? Dr. Powell shares the answers this week.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedcp.2025.200144

This week we review a recent editorial commentary by Drs. Belinda Gray, Rachel Lampert and Michael Papadakis on the concept of the personalized emergency action plan for the patient with genetic heart disease who is 'returning to play' in vigorous sports. With newer data demonstrating that risk for SCA or SCD is perhaps not as high as was once thought in this setting of sport, can the development of a personalized emergency action plan further enhance safety beyond simple measures such as medical adherence? Who should be involved in drafting this emergency action plan and how does this feature in the concept of 'shared decision-making'? DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.072830

This week we review a study assessing the impact of bundle branch block (BBB) on exercise tolerance amongst the single ventricle Fontan patient cohort. Why would this be associated with worse outcomes for exercise? How should the cardiologist use this datum of BBB in a single ventricle patient to inform clinical decision making in this patient group? Why is cardiac resynchronization therapy so challenging in this patient group? Dr. Omar Meziab of The University of Arizona shares his deep insights this week. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-024-03500-1

In this replay episode from 2023, we return to the world of ACHD when we review a recent German research paper on the prevalence of PTSD symptoms amongst the ACHD patient group. How common is this type of symptom observed in the ACHD patient group? What contributes to the high prevalence (17-20.5%) described in this work? What are the benefits of 'embedding' a mental health care worker in the ACHD clinic/program? What strategies can be employed in pediatric cardiology to potentially mitigate PTSD symptoms in our future ACHD patients? These are amongst the many topics reviewed this week with the former Mount Sinai ACHD program clinical social worker, Ms. Meredith Kalbacker who also comments on this week's work. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2023.06.087For those interested, the book referenced by Ms. Kalbacker, Healing Hearts and Minds, can be purchased on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Hearts-Minds-Holistic-Congenital/dp/0197657281

This week we review a recent work from the team at Seattle Children's Hospital about obstetrical sonography and referral of fetuses with 'suboptimal imaging' for fetal echocardiography. Should all 'suboptimal imaging' cases be referred? How can fetal cardiologists parse out who needs a fetal cardiac scan and when? How does the fetal team in Seattle practically serve a geographic region exceeding 2,000 miles and properly triage the referrals, particularly when 'suboptimal imaging' is the rationale for referral? Associate Professor of Pediatrics at The University of Washington, Dr. Bhawna Arya provides deep insights into her recent work on how to think about fetuses referred for 'suboptimal imaging' as a rationale for fetal consultation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-024-03495-9

This week we review a recent PHTS study on long-term outcomes following heart transplantation. Why do patients develop coronary vasculopathy and how commonly is it seen at long term follow-up? What factors are associated with better or worse long term outcomes? How do 'adverse childhood experiences' result in worse outcomes for patients? Why do young transplant patients have better long-term outcomes and can this be leveraged to improve older patient outcomes? We speak with the first author of this week's work, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Ohio State and also from Nationwide Children's Hospital, Dr. Emily Hayes. DOI: 10.1111/petr.70042

This week we review a recent study assessing the rate of hematochezia seen in children following neonatal congenital heart surgery, predominantly for aortic obstruction such as in HLHS. How often is this sign observed in this patient group and what percentage of these patients have actual necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)? Are there any modifiable risk factors for NEC? How can these data help clinicians separate out those with more benign forms of hematochezia from those with NEC and how might this improve care for this patient group? These are amongst the questions reviewed this week with the work's first author, University of Michigan Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Dr. Courtney Strohacker. DOI: 10.1007/s00246-024-03485-xFor those interested in pediatric podcasts, please take a look at this list of the 'top 15' pediatric topic podcasts - we are #4 in pediatrics for 2025!https://podcast.feedspot.com/pediatric_podcasts/

This week we review a recent report of 4 patients with serious complications related to either perforation or external compression from the distal tines of the Alterra prestent when used for transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement. We speak with Dr. R. Allen Ligon, interventional cardiologist at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/Emory University about a recent multicenter report of rare complications seen with this prosthesis. How common are perforations seen with this device and how often are these clinically silent? What should be done for clinically silent prestent perforations? What sort of surveillance of all patients with this device is warranted after successful placement? These are amongst the questions posed to Dr. Ligon and discussed this week. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2024.102836

This week we review a report from the teams at University College, Dublin and Texas Children’s Hospital about a collaborative approach to education in which two centers across the globe participate in a shared fellow learning conference. In this conference which is aimed at fellow education, topics are chosen and discussed with facilitated learning from faculty at both sites. What can be gained for fellows on opposite sides of the Atlantic that cannot be learned from exposure to just their one site? How did this approach help fellows learn about how to deal with uncertainty in decision making? How did this trans-continental learning approach enhance patient and team communication? These are amongst the many questions posed to senior cardiologist and senior author of this week’s work, Professor Colin McMahon of University College, Dublin, Ireland.   ·         DOI: 10.1007/s00246-024-03469-x

This week we review a recent review paper on newest innovations and literature on pacing in pediatric patients and learn a bit about such diverse pediatric pacing topics as:Use of the Medtronic Micra device in an off-label manner for epicardial pacing in small infantsNovel, less invasive approaches to placing epicardial leads in small childrenThe role of leadless pacing in the pediatric or CHD patientConduction system pacing in 2025 in the congenital patientThe above are amongst the potpourri of pacing topics that we review with noted congenital electrophysiologist, Dr. Charles Berul of Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC in a co-branded episode with the SADS Foundation. For more information on SADS, please go to their website: SADS.ORG.DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2024.02.011

This week we step back in time 3 years ago to review an important cardiac MRI report on Fontan geometry and hemodynamics as measured by computational fluid dynamic analysis. How do factors like Fontan geometry or 'power loss' relate to quality of life for the Fontan young adult patient? How do these data inform imaging in the operating room during these palliations? We speak with the first author of this work, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at U. Penn, Dr. Laura Mercer-Rosa about this important and intriguing work. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2022.01.017

This week we review a work from the department of cardiology and department of cardiac surgery at Boston Children's Hospital on late hypertension in patients following coarctation repair. Late hypertension has been associated previously with late transverse aortic arch Z score but can this be predicted by the immediate postoperative transverse aortic arch Z score also? What factors account for late hypertension in the coarctation patient? Should more patients have their aorta repaired from a sternotomy? Dr. Sanam Safi-Rasmussen, who is a PhD candidate at Copenhagen University, shares her insights from a work she performed while a research fellow at Boston Children's Hospital. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2024.08.049