Kristin’s story: From open heart surgery patient to child life specialist
There’s a saying: “Life’s roughest storms prove the strength in our anchors.” I have faced many storms in my life, and my anchors have grounded me with hope and strength.
I was born with complex congenital heart disease. By the time I was 36 hours old, I had been diagnosed with an atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), double outlet right ventricle, left and right ventricles reversed, dextracardia, mitral valve regurgitation and pulmonary stenosis. For many, this sounds like a long laundry list of defects, but for me and my family it became everyday life.
At 10 days old, I underwent my first...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 24, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Guest Blogger Tags: Heart conditions Our patients’ stories congenital heart disease Heart Center Source Type: news
Joey’s message of hope: Listen to your heart
Five minutes. That’s how long Joey Williams was expected to live – IF he made it to term, which his doctors were not expecting. His mother, Rebecca Williams, received the prognosis when she was 21 weeks pregnant.
Prenatal testing had already revealed that Joey had Down syndrome and a significant type of congenital heart disease in which one of the sides of his heart was underdeveloped. His diagnoses included atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect.
When Rebecca heard the news of her son’s meager life expectancy, she was devastated. Yet she also felt a well of unconditional love grow deep inside her. “...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 9, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Erin Horan Tags: Heart conditions Our patients’ stories Source Type: news
High Arterial Pressure a Mortality Risk in SSc (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) -- Survival reduced regardless of presence of pulmonary hypertension based on right heart catheterization. (Source: MedPage Today Cardiovascular)
Source: MedPage Today Cardiovascular - January 30, 2015 Category: Cardiology Source Type: news
CAD Following a Normal Cath in Middle-Aged AdultsCAD Following a Normal Cath in Middle-Aged Adults
What's the prognosis a few years after a normal cardiac catheterization? The Journal of Invasive Cardiology (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - January 26, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cardiology Journal Article Source Type: news
Should hospitals keep cardiac catheterization labs open on weekends?
(Elsevier Health Sciences) A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology evaluated costs associated with an early versus delayed invasive intervention strategy for patients presenting on weekdays and weekends. Investigators determined that early invasive strategy for Canadian NTSE-ACS patients significantly reduced costs, even on weekends, because of resulting shorter length of hospital stays. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - January 23, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Radial Access: Get Onboard or Get Left BehindRadial Access: Get Onboard or Get Left Behind
Seth Bilazarian picks the brain of radial access proponent Sunil Rao to learn the best practices for transradial cardiac catheterization. theheart.org on Medscape (Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines - January 15, 2015 Category: Cardiology Tags: Cardiology Commentary Source Type: news
A portal for beating-heart surgery
We report and comment on medical innovations and advances – from bench to bedside – touching on scientific, business and policy issues. Our ranks include science writers, physicians, lab researchers, market analysts and others inside and outside the hospital.
By Erin Horan
When a patient needs a cardiac intervention, surgeons can choose to access the heart in one of two ways: open-heart surgery or a cardiac catheterization.
Boston Children's HospitalNews Well, Vector Blog, Blog, Pediatricsread more (Source: Mass Device)
Source: Mass Device - December 19, 2014 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: MassDevice Tags: Vector Blog Source Type: news
Real-time radiation monitor can reduce radiation exposure for medical workers
A “real-time” radiation monitor that alerts by beeping in response to radiation exposure during cardiac-catheterization procedures significantly reduces the amount of exposure that medical workers receive, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers fo (Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center News)
Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center News - December 16, 2014 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: news
Real-time radiation monitor can reduce radiation exposure for medical workers
(UT Southwestern Medical Center) It's a sound that saves. A 'real-time' radiation monitor that alerts by beeping in response to radiation exposure during cardiac-catheterization procedures significantly reduces the amount of exposure that medical workers receive, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers found. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - December 16, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
FDA Approves Software for Noninvasive Cardio StudiesFDA Approves Software for Noninvasive Cardio Studies
The program identifies coronary artery blockages by calculating fractional flow reserve based on CT scans of a patient's heart, all without cardiac catheterization. FDA Approvals (Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines - November 27, 2014 Category: Cardiology Tags: Cardiology News Alert Source Type: news
Catching up with a dragon-slayer
Last summer we introduced you to William St. George Hunter, aka George, a little boy from South Carolina born with a congenital heart defect. Named for the mythical slayer of dragons, George was one of the earliest children to have a Melody valve—a replacement heart valve that can be expanded as a child grows—implanted into his heart to replace his mitral valve (which helps manage the flow of blood out of the heart to the rest of the body).
We checked in with his mother Elisabeth to see how George, now almost three years old, is doing. Here’s what she told us.
When last y’all wrote about our little ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - November 17, 2014 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Guest Blogger Tags: All posts Our patients’ stories Source Type: news
$4M Kennedy, Cooper cardiac cath lab ready for debut
A $4 million cardiac catheterization laboratory, created as a joint venture project by Kennedy Health System and Cooper University Health Care, will get its public unveiling Monday.
The center will begin seeing patients in mid-November, according to Kennedy Health officials. The exact date is still to be determined.
Cardiac cath labs can provide diagnostic as well as therapeutic care for heart patients. The center at Kennedy will be used only for diagnostic procedures. The health system would need… (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines)
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines - November 3, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: John George Source Type: news
Angiography Urged in All Resuscitated Out-of-Hospital ArrestAngiography Urged in All Resuscitated Out-of-Hospital Arrest
It's not widely done, "but it sure should be," said one expert about early cardiac catheterization for survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, commenting on a new meta-analysis. Heartwire (Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines - October 23, 2014 Category: Cardiology Tags: Cardiology News Source Type: news
Cardiac MRI Catheterization: 10-Year Experience and ReviewCardiac MRI Catheterization: 10-Year Experience and Review
What don't you know about MRI-guided cardiac interventions? Interventional Cardiology (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - October 6, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cardiology Journal Article Source Type: news
Case Report: Synthetic Cannabinoid K2 and Myocardial Infarction
This article describes 16-year-old male who presented to hospital with 1 day of substernal chest pressure associated with nausea, vomiting, and dyspnea that started 2 hours after he smoked the synthetic cannabinoid K2. Workup revealed elevated ST segments in the inferolateral leads and elevated troponin that peaked at 8.29 ng/ml (normal 0-0.3 ng/ml). Echocardiogram and cardiac catheterization were unremarkable. Urine drug screen was positive only for opiates and benzodiazepines, both of which the patient received in the hospital before the specimen was obtained. Specimens for additional toxicology tests were sent to an out...
Source: The Poison Review - September 17, 2014 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical coronary syndrome K2 myocardial infarction synthetic cannabinoid Source Type: news
