• Study from UPMC Children’s Heart Institute on Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA in Heart Transplantation Top 10 Most Cited Articles in Pediatric Transplantation. A study published by the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in the journal Pediatric Transplantation on “Early Findings After Integration of Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA Into Clinical Care Following Pediatric Heart Transplantation,” was one of the top 10 most cited articles from the journal in 2022-2023. The study was led by Brian Feingold, MD, MS, professor of Pediatrics and Clinical and Translational Science, and medical director of the Heart Failure and Transplantation Programs at UPMC Children’s.
  
  
• Study Highlights the Clinical Significance of Right Atrial Enlargement on ECG in Previously Healthy Young Patients. The study, led by pediatric cardiology fellow Lindsay Haack, MD, and senior author Gaurav Arora, MD, director of cardiac electrophysiology at the Heart Institute, provides new insights into the diagnostic value and clinical implications of RAE observed on ECG. The study was published in The Journal of Pediatrics in February 2024.
  
  
• UPMC Children’s Heart Institute CT Surgery Team Outlines Optimal Surgical Selection Process for Patients with Transposition of the Great Arteries Complicated by LVOTO. The study, conducted by the pediatric cardiothoracic surgery team at UPMC Children’s, was led by first author Laura Seese, MD, MS. Victor O. Morell, MD, chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at UPMC Children’s and internationally recognized expert in complex transposition was the study’s senior author. The team’s study provides details and clinical insights into the pathoanatomic criteria influencing surgical decisions and their impact on clinical outcomes in patients with complex transposition.
  
  
• Multicenter FUEL-2 Study for Adolescent Fontan Patients Beginning at UPMC Children’s. The Heart Institute at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh is a participating center in the FUEL-2 study, a new multicenter, prospective clinical trial that aims to evaluate the efficacy of udenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor, in comparison to a placebo in adolescent patients who have undergone the Fontan procedure. Tarek Alsaied, MD, FACC, MSc, is the site principal investigator for the trial at UPMC Children's.
  
  
• Early Outcomes from a Multicenter Transcatheter Self-Expanding Pulmonary Valve Replacement Registry. Experts from the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh recently published new research on transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement with the self-expanding Harmony valve (Medtronic) as a treatment for patients with right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) pulmonary regurgitation in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
  
  
• Comparing Guidelines on Participation in Competitive Sports by Patients with Congenital Heart Disease. Experts from the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh recently published new research regarding participation in competitive sports by patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Tarek Alsaied, MD, MSc, associate professor of Pediatrics, was the senior author of the study. Also contributing to the research was Jacqueline Kreutzer, MD, Heart Institute co-director and division chief of Pediatric Cardiology.
  
  
• Case Report: Ebstein Anomaly Variant with Anterior Leaflet Displacement. A team from the Heart Institute and the Da Silva Center for Ebstein’s Anomaly at UPMC Children’s published details in JTCVS Techniques in September on a recent case of a 17-month old patient diagnosed with Ebstein anomaly and a variant involving the anterior leaflet displacement. Senior author of the paper was Luciana Da Fonseca Da Silva, MD. Read more about the case and the team’s operative approach to correcting the patients tricuspid valve.

Other Published Research

• Cardiac MRI‑Derived Inferior Vena Cava Cross‑Sectional Area Correlates with Measures of Fontan‑Associated Liver Disease. First Author: Megan Gunsaulus, MD. Senior Author: Tarek Alseid, MD. Pediatric Cardiology. 2024 45:909-920.
  
  
• Congenital Heart Disease Illustrated. Use of Cross Sectional Imaging in Pediatric Cardiology. First Author: Yue-Hin Loke, MD (Children’s National Hospital). Senior Author: Laura Olivieri, MD. Journal of Thoracic Imaging. 2024; 39: W19-W31. Review
  
  
• Right Atrial Enlargement of Electrocardiogram in Previously Healthy Young Patients. First Author: Lindsey Haack, MD. Senior Author: Gaurav Arora, MD. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2024; 265: 11384.
  
  
• Optimizing Surgical Selection for Transposition With Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction. First Author: Laura Seese, MD. Senior Author: Victor Morell, MD. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2024; 117: 370-378.
  
  
• Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Haemodynamics in Paediatric Heart Transplant Patients: Fick Oximetry Versus Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Phase Contrast. First Author: Jennifer Schramm, MD (Johns Hopkins). Senior Author: Laura Olivieri, MD. Cardiology in the Young. 2024; 34(2): 262-267.

• UPMC Children’s Pediatric Cardiologist Reflects on Visiting Professorship in Malawi. Craig P. Dobson, MD, FACC, FAHA, associate professor of pediatrics and clinical director of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, recently returned from a two-week visiting professorship at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. His role was part of a broader effort led by Baylor University and Texas Children’s Hospital to combat rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and improve cardiac care infrastructure in the country.

• The Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Welcomes New Pediatric Interventional Cardiologist Lauren Carlozzi, MPH, MD. Dr. Carlozzi brings her expertise in pediatric cardiology and interventional cardiology to a robust team of experts at the Heart Institute.
  

• Dr. Aditi Gupta Discusses the Left Ventricle in Ebstein’s Anomaly on PediHeart: Pediatric Cardiology Today Podcast.
  
  
• Dr. Jacqueline Weinberg Named Director of the Perinatal Cardiology Program at the Heart Institute.
  
  
• The Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Welcomes Avihu Gazit, MD, as chief of Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Medicine, director of Cardiac Critical Care Services, and co-director of the Heart Institute.
  
  
• UPMC Children’s Heart Institute Names Gaurav Arora, MD, New Director of Electrophysiology. Dr. Arora brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, and a proven track record of excellence in the field of pediatric cardiology and electrophysiology.

• Heart Institute Becomes Project ADAM Affiliate. In 2024, the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s became a Project ADAM Affiliate member. Leading the efforts for this initiative at UPMC Children’s are Angela Keibler, MSN, RN, and Ashley Draxinger, MSN, RN, who are the co-program coordinators, and Bryan Funari, MD, medical director. The team’s first project was working with the Irwin First Assembly to help them earn the Project ADAM Heart Safe Designation in September.

• Optimizing Long-Term Health for Fontan Circulation Patients: The PittFON Program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. This initiative is designed to optimize care, enhance outcomes, and address the many health challenges that can be associated with Fontan circulation.
  
  
• The Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Introduces Center for Complex Transposition. The Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh recently unveiled the Center for Complex Transposition. This center provides specialized care and treatment for complex congenital heart defects, with a special focus on transposition of the great arteries (TGA). Led by Victor Morell, MD, co-director of the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s, chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and VP and Chief Strategy Officer of the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, and Laura Olivieri, MD, FAHA, FSCMR, director of noninvasive cardiac imaging at the Heart Institute, the Center for Complex Transposition is a destination for specialized surgical care and advanced cardiac imaging for patients with TGA.
  
  
• Tyler Harris, MD, Appointed Director of UPMC Children’s Cardiac Exercise Laboratory. As an expert clinician with a devotion to providing high-quality cardiac care services, he is an integral part of the Heart Institute’s acute care team.

• CME Course: Anatomic Assessment of Complex Transposition Using Echocardiography. In this CME, Lizabeth Lanford, MD, discusses how to identify favorable cardiac anatomy for the Nikaidoh procedure, explains accurate recognition of the VSD location to determine the optimal surgical option, how to implement the use of 3D echo imaging to improve diagnostic accuracy, and more.
  
  
• CME Course: Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement in Congenital Heart Disease. Bryan H. Goldstein, MD, describes the diagnostic skills needed for identifying adults with congenital heart disease so that mortality and morbidity can be reduced in a vulnerable cardiovascular population.

• The Fourth Annual Da Silva Center for Ebstein's Anomaly Symposium. Throughout this educational event, our team of experts presented comprehensive lectures on Ebstein’s anomaly, the utilization of advanced diagnostic imaging, the review of surgical technique, a new approach to staged procedural care, and post-surgical management.
  
  
• UPMC Children's Presentations at 2024 AHME. Presenting at this year’s event from UPMC Children’s were Patti Fluhrer, MA, GME Academic Manager, Pediatric Cardiology, Congenital Cardiac Surgery, and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Fellowships; Melissa Hildebrand, BS, project manager at UPMC; and Lauren Petty, BS, senior compliance administrator at UPMC. The team’s presentation during the May 9 session, which had more than 200 attendees, was titled: “Setting Boundaries Before Burnout Sets In: The Benefits of Coordinators Establishing Healthy Boundaries.”
  

• Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Experts to Present at the 2024 American College of Cardiology Annual Meeting. UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh faculty was well-represented at the 2024 ACC Annual Meeting in April.