ARTICLES RELATED TO:
Cardiology

Say hello to Dr. Corrine Bria and Dr. Peace Madueme! This dynamic duo from Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, is another one of the amazing couples on our team. Dr. Bria attended medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Madueme attended medical school at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. The couple met during their pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 2017. Immediately following their residency, Dr. Bria and Dr. Madueme made the big move to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. Today, Dr. Bria works in the Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Graduate Medical Education departments and Dr. Madueme in the Pediatric Heart Institute. Dr. Bria also served as one of the inaugural associate program directors of the pediatric residency program and is now the interim program director.  Dr. Madueme serves as the medical director of cardiac imaging and provides […]

In celebration of Doctors’ Day, we want to highlight the incredible work of two doctors who not only share a passion for the care of children, but also a deep love for each other. Dr. Mihir Thacker and Dr. Deepika Thacker first met while attending Seth Gordhandas Sunderas Medical College in Mumbai, India. “Mihir was 2 years my senior and had a very serious air about him,” says Dr. Deepika Thacker. “He was very focused and always studying. As I got to know him better, I discovered that he had a very fun side as well and a wicked sense of humor! We were friends before we started dating, and to this date, we remain friends in addition to being married. We love playing board games with the family, taking trips and trying new foods together!” Deepika recalls, when they began dating as teenagers, “He would take me out to […]

On her first day of kindergarten on September 20, 2010, Molly Katherine Dunne was a seemingly healthy girl until she collapsed as she arrived at school. She was taken to Nemours by ambulance. After some testing, she went home with plans to follow up on an out-patient basis. However, the next night her condition worsened so we returned to Nemours where she was admitted. After many tests, Molly was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension. Things happened quickly and we knew little of what this diagnosis meant. Molly underwent a cardiac catheterization to help determine a treatment plan and next steps. While in the catheterization lab, she had some complications followed by a cardiac arrest. She was revived but was not stable so she was placed on ECMO also known as heart-lung bypass. Over the next few days, attempts to wean from ECMO were unsuccessful. Molly was transferred to another children’s hospital […]

When your child complains of chest pain, it’s natural to jump to heart-related conclusions. But most cases of chest pain in children aren’t caused by cardiac conditions. It can sometimes be hard to get a clear description of your child’s chest pain, but symptoms usually include: Tightness. Discomfort. Burning sensation. Pain when taking deep breaths. Coughing. Wheezing. So what should you do? Make an appointment with your child’s primary care physician, and keep in mind that chest pain in children is usually not heart-related. Chest pain can often be attributed to one or more of the following: Gastroesophogeal reflux disease, or ongoing heartburn Pain or inflammation in the chest wall Asthma Pneumonia Stress or anxiety Injury Viral illness Heading to the hospital is absolutely necessary in some situations. Seek emergency care if: Exercise brings about chest pain, or makes it worse. Chest pain occurs with rapid or irregular heartbeat. Fainting or […]

Few things can cause a parent’s heart to stand still like having a teenage child complain of chest pain. Unfortunately, it’s a common complaint. According to national data from 2016, people aged 15 to 24 years comprise 14.2% of all emergency room visits and chest pain is one of the top diagnoses. Causes of Chest Pain Many people have experienced chest pain, and a variety of words are used to describe it, ranging from dull to squeezing. There are equally as many causes, the most serious of which usually involve the heart or lungs. Luckily, in teenagers, the most serious are not the most likely. Frequently, the cause of chest pain in teens is chest wall pain. The chest wall includes the skin, fat, muscles, and bones that form a protective structure around the heart, major blood vessels, lungs, and esophagus. The bones in the chest wall include the ribs, sternum (breastbone), […]

You might worry if you’re told your child has a heart murmur. But lots of kids are found to have heart murmurs at some point. And most won’t affect a child’s health at all. So What Is a Heart Murmur? The term “heart murmur” isn’t a diagnosis of an illness or disorder. The doctor might hear an extra sound in addition to the “lub-dub” we recognize as the heartbeat. A heart murmur is an abnormal sound (like a blowing or whooshing) that’s usually detected by a doctor who’s listening to the heart with a stethoscope during a routine examination. What’s an “Innocent” Heart Murmur? The most common type of heart murmur is an “innocent murmur” (also called a “benign” or “functional” murmur). This type of murmur is harmless. An innocent heart murmur is the sound of blood moving through a normal, healthy heart in a normal way. Just as you might hear air moving through an […]