Pediheart: Pediatric Cardiology Today

Pediheart Podcast #392: Pulsed Field Ablation For Complex Congenital Heart Atrial Arrhythmia Management

This week we speak with Dr. Ted O'Leary, Co-Director of Adult Congenital Heart Disease Electrophysiology at Boston Children's Hospital about a recent publication he authored on the use of pulsed field ablation (PFA) for the transcatheter ablation management of complex atrial arrhythmias in ACHD patients. How does PFA work and what are some of the potential advantages and disadvantages of this novel ablation energy technology? What are the advantages of a variable loop catheter in this setting? Is PFA going to supplant radiofrequency current for standard "SVT" ablations one day? These are amongst the questions reviewed with Dr. O'Leary this week.  * DOI: 10.1161/CIRCEP.125.014619 [https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.125.014619]

Pediheart Podcast Replay Episode #310: How Can We Improve Diversity And Representation In Pediatric Cardiology?

This week’s replay episode reviews the notion of the underrepresented in medicine physician and the decision to pursue pediatric cardiology. How would improved representation amongst the congenital heart work force result in better outcomes for patients? How does a diverse workforce foster improved communication with patients? What are some practical steps that can be employed to improve representation in the field? We speak with  Dr. Ogochuckwu M Ezeoke Cox, MD of U. Mass about recent essay on this vital topic. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-023-03144-7

Pediheart Podcast #391: The "Lone Pines" Of Congenital Cardiology - An Inspiring Tale Of Progress

This week we review a recent book entitled Reimagining a Child’s Heart: The Lone Pines of Congenital Cardiology which was recently published by Springer and which was authored by Dr. Thomas J. Kulik and Dr. Macdonald Dick. Drs. Kulik and Dick recount the innumerable steps in discovery that led to what the authors view as one of the pinnacles of achievement in our field, namely the palliation of children with HLHS and single ventricle disease. Dr. Kulik tragically passed suddenly in 2021 but his friend and colleague Dr. Dick completed the book that Dr. Kulik had spent over a decade toiling over. This week we sit down with Dr. Dick and also, briefly, Dr. Roberta Williams and Dr. Kulik's wife Ms. Linda Kulik to discuss the book, Dr. Kulik's legacy, mentorship and more. Dr. Dick also shares with us what he believes are the keys to a successful retirement. This is a rare opportunity to listen to some of the truest pioneers of our field, 'Lone Pines" themselves share their insights and warm stories.  For those interested, this is one of many sites to obtain the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/3031886070?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Also mentioned in this episode are 2 prior episodes including our conversation with Dr. Michael Freed and our conversation with Ms. Patricia Meisol and links are below: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pediheart-podcast-203-a-conversation-with-dr-michael-freed/id1341472214?i=1000556610155 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pediheart-podcast-320-the-extraordinary-life/id1341472214?i=1000677938143

Pediheart Podcast #390: Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery In Children

This week we discuss a recent report from the team at SickKids in Toronto on minimally invasive cardiac surgery. What sorts of operations are most common for this approach? Why are length of ICU and length of hospitalization periods lower in this surgical cohort than more traditional midline sternotomy approaches? How does one train a surgeon to perform these operations if the surgical exposure is so small, allowing only the priimary surgeon to see the majority of the surgery? What are the limits of this sort of surgical approach? These are amongst the questions posed to the first author of this work, Associate Professor of Surgery at University of Toronto, Dr. Christoph Haller.  * DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2025.12.009 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2025.12.009]

Pediheart Podcast #389: How Risky Is Catheterization In The Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Patient

This week we review a recent report using data from the IMPACT registry assessing the rates of major adverse events during cath of the pediatric cardiomyopathy patient. How commonly are complications encountered and who is at greatest risk? How much additional risk is incurred by performance of an endomyocardial biopsy at the time of catheterization? Pediatric critical care expert, Dr. Alejandro Martinez Herrada of Nicklaus Children's Hospital provides his insights this week.  doi: 10.1161/JAHA.125.047780.