Introduction: Lipid screening identifies at-risk patients to facilitate cardiovascular risk reduction. National pediatric guidelines recommend universal lipid screening between 9-11 and 17-21 years of age. We aimed to improve adherence to lipid screening for all age-appropriate outpatient pediatric cardiology visits from a baseline of 35% to 90% between November 2021 and July 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Infections and deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic have disproportionately affected underserved populations. A community-engaged approach that supports decision making around safe COVID-19 practices is needed to promote equitable access to testing and treatment. You & Me: Test and Treat (YMTT) will evaluate a systematic and scalable community-engaged protocol that provides rapid access to COVID-19 at-home tests, education, guidance on next steps, and information on local resources to facilitate treatment in underserved populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMulticenter studies in pediatric cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) improve statistical power and generalizability. However, a structured process for identifying important research topics has not been developed. We aimed to (1) develop a list of high priority knowledge gaps, and (2) pilot the use of a wiki survey to collect a large group of responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) is an international society focused on the research, education, and clinical application of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). "Cases of SCMR" is a case series hosted on the SCMR website ( https://www.scmr.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Local institutional echocardiogram protocols reflect standard measurements as per national guidelines, but adherence to measurements was inconsistent. This inconsistency led to variability in reporting and impacted the use of serial measurements for clinical decision-making. Therefore, we aimed to improve complete adherence to universal and protocol-specific measures for echocardiograms performed for first-time or cardiomyopathy studies from 60% to 90% from July 2019 to February 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParametric mapping, that is, a pixel-wise map of magnetic relaxation parameters, expands the diagnostic potential of cardiac magnetic resonance by enabling quantification of myocardial tissue-specific magnetic relaxation on an absolute scale. Parametric mapping includes T mapping (native and postcontrast), T and T* mapping, and extracellular volume measurements. The myocardial composition is altered in various disease states affecting its inherent magnetic properties and thus the myocardial relaxation times that can be directly quantified using parametric mapping.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Pediatr Cardiol
October 2020
Body mass index, race/ethnicity, and payer status are associated with operative mortality in congenital heart disease (CHD). Interactions between these predictors and impacts on longer term outcomes are less well understood. We studied the effect of body mass index, race/ethnicity, and payer on 1-year outcomes following elective CHD surgery and tested the degree to which race/ethnicity and payer explained the effects of body mass index.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Early detection of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction before the onset of overt Duchenne muscular dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy (DMDAC) may direct clinical management to slow onset of dysfunction. We aimed to assess whether LV strain will predict those who develop DMDAC.
Methods: We performed a single center retrospective case control study of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who underwent serial cardiac magnetic resonance between 2006 and 2019.
The objective of the study was to determine normal global left ventricular reference values for T1 and T2 in children. This is a retrospective study that included healthy subjects, age 5-19 years, who underwent CMR for the indication of pectus excavatum from 2018 to 2019. Linear regression models were used to determine associations of native T1 and T2 values to heart rate, age, and other CMR parameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Fontan procedure has provided patients with single ventricle physiology extended survival into adulthood and in many cases has improved their quality of life. Atrioventricular valve regurgitation (AVVR) is common in single ventricle patients and is associated with increased risk of mortality. AVVR is more common in patients with a systemic tricuspid or common atrioventricular valve but is generally progressive irrespective of underlying valve morphology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg
May 2020
A nine-month-old girl diagnosed with anatomically corrected malposition (atrioventricular discordance, ventriculoarterial concordance, and malposed great arteries) complicated by multiple ventricular septal defects (VSD) and multifactorial left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) presented for management after pulmonary artery banding. She underwent interim palliation in the form of bilateral cavopulmonary connections, a modified Damus-Kaye-Stansel-type anastomosis, and subsequent staged one-and-a-half ventricle repair (1.5 repair) at the age of three years in the form of VSD closure, hemi-Mustard, and LVOTO resection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fontan palliation results in a chronic multisystem disorder with diminished exercise capacity and increased risk of muscle wasting. The aims of this study were to assess the feasibility of skeletal muscle mass measurements in Fontan patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging liver surveillance to compare muscle mass with a historic control and to assess its correlation with cardiorespiratory fitness.
Methods: Skeletal muscle area (SMA) and skeletal muscle index (SMI) were measured at T12 and L3.
Background: The direct anterior approach to total hip arthroplasty (THA) may result in superior early postoperative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). This study compared PROMs between THA patients treated with the direct anterior or posterolateral approach between 1.5 months and 5 years, using literature-derived patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) and minimal clinically important improvement (MCII) thresholds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF• Echocardiography was used for bedside vasodilator testing in postoperative PH. • Echocardiographic measures of PH and RV function improved shortly after nitric oxide. • Echocardiography was used to guide management and avoid more invasive testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Pediatr Cardiol
January 2019
We report a unique case of dilated aortic root and pulmonary artery in an infant with clinical features consistent with Beals syndrome confirmed to have fibrillin-2 mutation. This case highlights a novel finding of main pulmonary artery dilatation that has not been previously reported with Beals syndrome or fibrillin-2 mutation. In addition, the importance of serial echocardiography and consideration of medical management is discussed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sharing blood-contaminated syringes is the main risk factor for acquiring and transmitting blood-borne infections among persons who inject drugs (PWID). To reduce this risk, in 2005, California enacted legislation allowing local health jurisdictions to legalize non-prescription syringe sales after approving a disease prevention demonstration project (DPDP). With San Francisco approving a DPDP immediately and San Diego never approving one, we compared PWID across cities for their use of pharmacies PWID to obtain syringes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Exposure to antenatal stressors affects autonomic regulation in fetuses. Whether the presence of congenital heart disease (CHD) alters the developmental trajectory of autonomic regulation is not known.
Aims/study Design: This prospective observational cohort study aimed to further characterize autonomic regulation in fetuses with CHD; specifically hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), transposition of the great arteries (TGA), and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).
Sickle cell disease is a chronic condition that is characterized by severe anemia, painful crises, and organ dysfunction. In the U.S.
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