Pediheart: Pediatric Cardiology Today

Why are compassion, kindness and humility critical to the care of patients in 2026? How can practitioners be taught these approaches and how does this 'triple gift' not only improve patient care but also professional interactions? Can this be taught? If so, what are the best ways? Professor Colin McMahon of Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin shares his deep insights into this important and oft-neglected aspect of being a caregiver. 

DOI: 10.1007/s00246-026-04161-y

Following today's interview we also briefly speak with Professor Jack Rychik of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia about the upcoming CHOP 2026 meeting entitled "Cardiology 2026 - Together!". For those interested in possibly attending this meeting which begins on 2.28.26, take a look at the website below for more information:

https://www.chop.edu/events/cardiology-2026

This week we replay an episode from nearly 2 years ago about an editorial commentary from multiple congenital heart surgical leaders in the US. The topic of their expert opinion piece is the concept of public reporting of results and their 'amplification' through organizations such as US News and World Report, to name one. How has the use of the database from STS been sometimes misinterpreted through public reporting or ranking systems? What was the initial intent of the STS database and how does the present usage of these data differ from the initial intent? Do STS risk adjustment models capture all aspects of risk for patients undergoing surgery and how do deficiencies in this result in unfair 'rankings' of programs? Can we 'take control' of our data and interpret it more clearly and accurately for the public and reduce misusage or misinterpretation of the data? How can public reporting result in improved outcomes? How can 'gaming' of the system be reduced? Dr. Emile Bacha, Professor of Surgery at Columbia University shares his deep insights into a complex and challenging topic.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.03.022

This week we review a recent work on fetal atrial septal interventions in the patient with hypoplastic left ventricle or double outlet right ventricle with mitral valve atresia/dysplasia and a restrictive or intact atrial septum. How often was this procedure technically feasible and successful? What are the criteria to be considered for such an intervention? Why does use of a laser improve the crossing of the atrial septum in this procedure? Should prenatal intervention be used instead of postnatal intervention in this setting? Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Betul Yilmaz shares her insights into this fascinating topic.

https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.125.015209

This week we replay an important episode from 2 years ago in which we delved into the world of antibiotic prophylaxis for dental procedures. What are the data to support its use in the congenital heart patient? Why has this been such a difficult topic to study? What do we now know about this topic and what still remains unanswered? Given the low prevalence but dire consequences of this disease, how can investigators consider studying this topic in the future? Is there adequate equipoise to proceed with a randomized controlled trial? We speak with Advanced Imaging Fellow at Boston Children's Hospital, Dr. Francesca Sperotto of Harvard University about her recent multicenter meta-analysis of 30 studies including over one million cases of endocarditis. DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2024.0873

This week we review a follow-up work from the team at USC and Children's LA led by Dr. Yaniv Bar-Cohen on a novel micropacemaker. How has the device changed and improved over the past 3-5 years since his last visit to Pediheart? What are some of the difficulties of designing a device that is both stable on the epicardium but not inclined to develop inflammation? Why did the team move from a screw in eletrode model to a different design? What applications could this device have both for infants but also adults? Dr. Bar-Cohen shares his deep knowledge of both electrophysiology and device design this week.

DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2025.01.036

For those interested in stepping back in time to hear Dr. Bar-Cohen's first description of an earlier version of this novel pacemaker, here is the link from 2018:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pediheart-podcast-26-novel-means-of-epicardial/id1341472214?i=1000498801107