From the 2022 Pediatric Transplant Conference, part of National Pediatric Transplant Week and National Donate Life Month. This session was generously sponsored by Enduring Hearts.
Presenters:
Dr. Christopher Almond, Pediatric Cardiologist at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
Katrina Fields, Coordinator of the Ventricle Assist Device (VAD) Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
In the world of pediatric heart transplants, there is constant innovation. Whether it is finding new ways to improve surgical techniques or to develop better methods for post-operative care, doctors and researchers are always looking for ways to make the procedure safer and more successful. As a patient or caregiver, it can be difficult to keep up with all of the latest advances but understanding the latest developments can give you hope – and let you know what to expect if your child needs a heart transplant.
Tune in for a Pediatric Heart Transplant Society (PHTS) – TEAMMATE update. This FDA-regulated study is the first multi-center randomized study in maintenance immunosuppression, studying 210 children after 6 months of heart transplantation. The goal is to see if a new rejection therapy (everolimus in combination with low-dose tacrolimus) reduces some of the most common complications of survival-restricting transplants, such as rejection and coronary arteries.
ACTION – If your child has been hospitalized with heart failure, you know how important it is to be as educated as possible about your child’s condition. You want to be able to ask questions of the doctors and nurses and understand what is happening medically, but it can be difficult to find good information that is easy to understand. That is why we are excited to present My ACTION Education, a new education platform specifically for caregivers of children with heart failure. Join us as Katrina Fields, clinical heart failure nurse educator and transplant mom, guides us through this exciting and important new tool.
Intro music: Time Warp by Emil Waldhauer (Notize), 2022. Used with permission.
Outro music: Believe in Me by Emil Waldhauer (Notize), 2022. Used with permission.
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