Structured Tube Weaning Using the Hunger Provocation Method in Infants with Single Ventricle Heart Defects: A Multicenter Study.

Despite improvement in hemodynamics, children with single ventricle heart disease remain on feeding tubes long after stage 2 palliation (S2P). Use of a hunger provocation method in a multidisciplinary team setting has been successful at weaning these children from feeding tubes. The objective of this study is to describe patient characteristics and outcomes in the single ventricle population who underwent a formal tube weaning process using a standardized hunger provocation method.

Feeding Variation Among Infants in Acute Care Cardiology Units.

Infants with heart disease are at high risk of feeding difficulties and complications. Feeding practices amongst acute care cardiology units are not standardized. This study aims to describe feeding practices for infants at the time of discharge from a Pediatric Acute Care Cardiology Collaborative (PAC) center and practice variation between centers.

Experiences in Tube Weaning Children with Congenital Heart Disease and Oral Feeding Aversion.

Infants and children with congenital heart disease (CHD) often require supplemental nutrition via tube feeding before and after surgery. Tube feeding may be required due to poor weight gain, inadequate oral-motor skills, and/or reduced endurance for oral feeding. Our team has described a successful approach to weaning this population (Horsley et al.

Paediatric resident identification of cardiac emergencies.

Objectives: Critical CHD is associated with morbidity and mortality, worsened by delayed diagnosis. Paediatric residents are front-line clinicians, yet identification of congenital CHD remains challenging. Current exposure to cardiology is limited in paediatric resident education.

Management of Hematochezia in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease Admitted to the Acute Care Cardiology Unit: A Multicenter Retrospective Pilot Study.

Objective: To assess the evaluation and prevalence of benign hematochezia (BH) vs necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) <6 months old admitted to the acute care cardiology unit.

Study Design: This was a multicenter retrospective review of patient characteristics and evaluation of all hematochezia events in patients with CHD <6 months admitted to acute care cardiology unit at 3 high-volume tertiary care centers from February 2019 to January 2021. NEC was defined by the Bell staging criteria.

Prenatal Predictors for Pulmonary Balloon Valvuloplasty in the Newborn.

Pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty (PBV) is the treatment of choice for subjects with isolated pulmonary valve stenosis (IPS). The purpose of this study was to define fetal echocardiographic features associated with an inpatient PBV prior to newborn hospital discharge and characterize resource utilization of IPS fetuses among participating centers. Six center, retrospective case series of singleton fetuses identified between 2010 and 2020 with IPS.

Feeding Practices in Infants with Hematochezia and Necrotizing Enterocolitis on Acute Care Cardiology Units.

Infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at risk for developing both benign hematochezia and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Despite these risks there are very few studies that investigate modifiable risk factors such as feeding practices. It remains unclear what feeding practices should be avoided due to higher incidence of CHD-NEC.

Left Atrial Phasic Function via Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Cardiac dysfunction is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Left atrial (LA) function is a poorly understood concept in this patient population, and research suggests underlying structural changes that could affect atrial function. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging may provide an important non-invasive approach to evaluating LA function.

Maternal and neonatal factors associated with cesarean delivery in a cohort of pregnancies complicated by prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease.

Background: Pregnancies with prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease (CHD) have increased cesarean delivery (CD) rates, with no outcome improvement.

Objective: We aim to examine indications for delivery, indications for CD and risk factors associated with CD.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort of 322 singleton pregnancies prenatally diagnosed with moderate to severe CHD.

Initiative to increase family presence and participation in daily rounds on a paediatric acute care cardiology unit.

Introduction: Family-centred rounds benefit families and clinicians and improve outcomes in general paediatrics, but are understudied in subspecialty settings. We sought to improve family presence and participation in rounds in a paediatric acute care cardiology unit.

Methods: We created operational definitions for family presence, our process measure, and participation, our outcome measure, and gathered baseline data over 4 months of 2021.

Are Parent Discharge Readiness Scores Effective for Patients With Congenital Heart Disease After Cardiac Surgery?

Objective: To assess discharge readiness and clinical engagement post-discharge in families of children undergoing congenital heart surgery.

Study Design: This prospective cross-sectional study was performed at a major tertiary pediatric cardiac referral center. Eligible parents and caregivers completed a discharge readiness tool, the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale for Parents of Hospitalized Children, via online survey on the day of discharge.

Lyme carditis presenting as paroxysmal junctional tachycardia and complete atrioventricular block in an adolescent.

We describe a case of a previously healthy adolescent who presented with junctional tachycardia and complete atrioventricular (AV) block due to Lyme carditis. The simultaneous presence of these findings suggested significant inflammation of the AV junction. Junctional tachycardia, particularly if seen in a patient with conduction abnormalities and potential tick exposure, should increase suspicion for Lyme carditis.

Evaluation of an Outpatient and Telehealth Initiative to Reduce Tube Dependency in Infants with Complex Congenital Heart Disease.

Infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) often require supplemental nutrition via tube feeding, even after corrective surgical repair. The need for tube feeding can persist months after discharge home, and outpatient weaning from the tube can be a slow and difficult process. Lack of consensus exists in the literature as to the best approach to this challenge.

Increasing Use of the Right Ventricle-to-Pulmonary Artery Shunt for Stage 1 Palliation.

Background: Stage 1 palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome entails use of the Norwood operation with a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt or a right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery shunt, or the hybrid procedure. Use trends and factors influencing palliation selection remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate these questions and to compare outcomes between types of stage 1 palliation.

Accelerated Idioventricular Rhythm in a Child With Status Asthmaticus.

Acute asthma exacerbations occur relatively frequently in children. We present the case of a 4-year-old boy who was admitted to our hospital in status asthmaticus and found to have a wide complex rhythm while being treated with inhaled albuterol and intravenous methylprednisolone. This rhythm was diagnosed as accelerated idioventricular rhythm (AIVR), which carries a benign prognosis.

Noninvasive measurement of cardiac output during exercise in children with tetralogy of Fallot.

In patients with surgically repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), reported peak oxygen consumption (VO(2)) is decreased compared with control subjects. The measurement of exercise cardiac output (CO) could be a useful adjunct for assessing cardiovascular fitness. There are few data assessing noninvasive CO, cardiac index (CI), and stroke volume (SV) during exercise for these patients.

A survey of attitudes and experiences of women with heart disease.

Objective: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, but little is known about the attitudes and experiences of the 6.4 million American women who have a diagnosis of heart disease. We assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of women with heart disease and the effect of the disease on their lives.