Caring for Kids
Highly specialized services for the most vulnerable population
When a child ’ s health is threatened , families are under stress and may face difficult decisions . Advanced pediatric services now being offered at Scott & White Healthcare are helping parents to make those difficult decisions with more peace of mind . These include pediatric cardiac catheterization and specialty transport services for women with high-risk pregnancies and for critically ill newborns .
cott & White Healthcare has
“ S made a major commitment to expand Children ’ s Services , and these are important steps to help meet that commitment ,” says John Pliska , MD , a board-certified pediatric cardiologist , chief medical officer of the Children ’ s Hospital at Scott & White and associate chief medical officer of Children ’ s Services . Dr . Pliska recently joined Scott & White Healthcare with the goal of building comprehensive multidisciplinary heart services for infants and children .
The Heart of the Matter Adults with blocked arteries often undergo angioplasty , or cardiac catheterization . In the past , traditional open-heart surgery , with a lengthier recovery process , was required . Now pediatric patients can benefit from the same minimally invasive cardiac catheterization technology at Scott & White . Some procedures that used to require surgery can now be done in the cath lab under local anesthesia and may not require an overnight stay , reducing fear and anxiety for children and their parents .
Cardiac catheterization is a procedure in which a thin , flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into a vein and / or artery and guided into the heart . This can supplement or replace traditional surgery to check blood flow and structural valve problems in children . Until now , pediatric cardiac catheterization has been available only at large metropolitan medical centers because it requires significant expertise by interventional cardiologists .
“ Cardiac catheterization can help children with congenital anomalies like a septal defect ( or what ’ s commonly referred to as a ‘ hole in the heart ’), valve abnormality , or blood vessel anomaly . It also helps us diagnose and treat cardiac abnormalities that may develop as a child gets older , such as stenosis , or narrowing of an artery ,” says Dr . Pliska , who performs pediatric cardiac catheterizations at The Children ’ s Hospital at Scott & White in Temple .
Scott & White recently began offering the procedure to children ages 5 to 8 , and over time , also plans to make it available to infants and young adults . Eventually , cardiac catheterization may even be used before birth on fetuses with congenital heart problems diagnosed in utero .
In the short term , pediatric cardiac catheterization will mean that Central Texas families will not have to travel to a larger city for advanced care . In the long
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