Pediheart: Pediatric Cardiology Today

This week we speak with noted cardiovascular surgeon Dr. John J. Lamberti who is presently Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford University. Dr. Lamberti's career has spanned from the time of Dr. Robert Gross in the 1960's to present day with Dr. Frank Hanley and the team in Stanford. His career perfectly mirrors the transition from the 'old days' of cardiac surgery up until the present modern age and he shares his reminiscences of working with Dr. Robert Gross, Dr. Aldo Castaneda, Dr. Maurice Lev, Dr. Roberta Williams, Dr. Nadas and others. He also shares his thoughts on how to be a good mentor and what that takes from someone who has mentored many surgeons in the past 5 decades.

This week we review a recent report on the differences between pulse oximeter Sp02 and arterial Sa02. Are there patient specific factors that may result in inaccuracies of measurement? What single ventricular factors may also result in more significant inaccuracies and how should these data be used at the bedside when assessing a child who is cyanosed? We speak with Dr. Cara Pritchett, critical care fellow at Lurie Children's Hospital - Northwestern University about a recent work she co-authored on this important and practical topic. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jscai.2022.100394

This week we review a recent work from the team at Stanford University on post-traumatic stress disorder amongst pediatric patients with ICD's as well as their parents. How common is this diagnosis seen amongst these patients and their parents and what are some of the reasons for this? How should patients receiving devices be properly screened for this and why is identification of PTSD so important? Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, Dr. Lauren Schneider, shares her insights into her work this week. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2022.06.025

This week's episode is a replay of a co-branded 2020 episode with SADS.ORG and is on the topic of pre-participation screening. Can the ECG offer important benefits vs. the standard 14 point AHA H&P approach? Which approach was more effective in 'real life'? We speak with Professor Robert Campbell of Emory University this week to delve into this contentious and important topic. DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2020.04.032

This week we review a recent work from NYU-Langone on the topic of cardiac rehab for the ACHD patient. Does enrollment in a formal cardiac rehabilitation program result in meaningful improvements in exercise tolerance in the ACHD patient? Who can benefit from this? How does the impact of this form of therapy compare with more traditional medical interventions? We speak with the senior author of this week's work, Associate Professor of Medicine at NYU, Dr. Dan Halpern. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.121.023896

This week we explore the 'basics' when we review a recent report from the team at the Amrita Institute in Cochin, India on the accuracy and precision of the physical examination in identifying heart disease. How did the stethoscope do in comparison to the 'gold standard' of echocardiography? Is it time to 'retire' the stethoscope or does it still have an honored role in the evaluation of children with possible heart disease? How can physicians and other providers get better at physical examination? Professor Krishna Kumar, chief of the cardiac program at Amrita Institute in Cocchin shares his deep insights this week! https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2022-001595

This week we review a recent work from Naples, Italy on the use of the GORE Cardioform ASD device to close large atrial septal defects in small children. Are there anatomical 'rules' to help predict who might be a candidate for transcatheter closure? What about this device makes it potentially safer for this indication? Should we be worried about wireframe fractures? We discuss this and other issues related to this topic with the first author of this week's work, interventional cardiologist, Professor Giuseppe Santoro of the University of Naples, Italy. DOI: 10.1111/jocs.16786

This week we delve into the world of bovine jugular vein grafts for the treatment of pulmonary valve dysfunction and the possible enhanced risk for infective endocarditis. How commonly are these valves affected by endocarditis and does placement at surgery in comparison to the cath lab confer a lower risk for this dreaded complication? What factor was most highly associated with the risk for endocarditis with a bovine jugular valve vein graft for PVR? A description from the team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital is on tap this week! https://doi.org/10.1177/21501351211065363

This week we delve into the world of fetal cardiology to review a recent report on fetal SVT. Are there factors in fetal life that would predict postnatal SVT? How should transesophageal pacing factor into decisions in postnatal life? How does the team at Lurie Children’s choose a 2nd agent for fetal SVT when digoxin is ineffective? Are there differences in the clinical presentation of infants prenatally diagnosed with SVT versus those diagnosed after fetal life? We speak with former EP fellow at Lurie Children's Hospital, Dr. Thomas Carberry, who is presently a pediatric electrophysiologist at DeVos Children’s Hospital. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacep.2022.06.003

This week we review a landmark paper reviewing the very large experience of Dr. Hanley and his team at Stanford University in managing VSD/PA with MAPCA's. What advantages are seen with the 'midline unifocalization' approach popularized by this team over the past 20+ years? Is this an approach that can be broadly applied or are the technical operative skills too challenging for most? Why are these operations so difficult? How does the Stanford team decide who is a candidate for a single operation and who is not? We explore many of these topics and others with Surgery Professor Richard Mainwaring of Stanford University who is the first author of this important paper published recently in JTCVS. You will not want to miss Dr. Mainwaring's insightful commentary on the challenges and potential benefits of this very complex and painstaking approach. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2018.03.153.