ARTICLES RELATED TO:
Cardiology

When Gaby was four years old, her family noticed that she was barely talking, was frequently losing her balance, and experiencing severe migraines. After going through many tests, including a sleep study, they found out that she had Chiari malformation. As Gaby continued to grow, her doctors uncovered more diagnoses including scoliosis, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), Tethered Cord, Syringomyelia, secondary Hydrocephalus PTSD, among many others. Gaby was seeing a plethora of doctors and undergoing several different therapies, surgeries, and medications. However, her family was having difficulty finding doctors that specialized in Gaby’s conditions in Tampa. After doing some research, Gaby’s mom, Diana, found Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. Their first visit at Nemours Children’s was with the neurology team in Orlando when Gaby was about nine years old. “As a parent who has dealt with so many doctors, I have experienced doctors who don’t even know how to pronounce her […]

After Troy was born, he was struggling to breathe. His mother Holli alerted the labor and delivery nurses, and they responded by checking his pulse, noticing that it was abnormal. Holli’s life was turned upside down when she was told that Troy had to be transferred out of state from Cape May, NJ to Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware to get the care that he would need. He was born with an interrupted aortic arch, a rare congenital heart defect that happens when the aorta doesn’t form completely. At just 6 days old, and due to his small size, Troy had a procedure to place bands around his pulmonary arteries and a stent the ductus arteriosus, to control the excessive amount of blood going to his lungs and to provide circulation to the lower body, performed by pediatric cardiac surgeon, Dr. Christian Pizarro. Then, at 6 months old, Dr. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]