In July 2017, Dr. Jack Price from Texas Children’s Hospital, and a Board Member of the Myocarditis Foundation spoke on “Cutting Edge Perspectives in Pediatric Ventricular Assist Devices.” Dr. Price, and a team of physicians from Texas Children’s Hospital, spoke to thousands of cardiologists from all over the world on the pros and cons of the usage of Ventricular Assist Devices in children.
While the field of mechanical circulatory support has made great strides in the past years, pediatric mechanical support has not kept pace with the adult mechanical support options. However, that gap is closing rapidly. Texas Children’s Hospital is a leader in the usage of these such devices with much success.
Dr. Price spoke to the utilization of VADs in the management of Heart Failure in Children. The number of children awaiting heart transplantation has been rising and mechanical support can be a bridge to transplantation or an answer to end-stage heart failure. They can also be used as a temporary support for a patient affected with myocarditis, allowing the child’s heart to rest and heal to a point where the heart can again function on its own.
Sharing of such education to thousands of cardiologists from around the world helped aide in the improved outcomes for those children affected by heart failure, often the result of myocarditis.
Knowledge Nurtures Hope…