Cardiac ICU

Probably the most significant change in the treatment of children with congenital heart disease over the past two decades has been the emphasis on early surgical intervention to repair defects in newborns and infants.

The underlying premise is that early intervention to correct cyanosis, volume or pressure loads on the myocardium and treat pulmonary hypertension will enhance the heat or the child's subsequent growth and development. One of the reasons this approach has been so successful is the infrastructure in place at Boston Children's Hospital to manage our patients.

This includes:

• improvements in diagnosis procedures and imaging of the heart
• improved monitoring techniques to closely titrate changes in management
• improvements in surgical techniques and cardiopulmonary bypass
• improvements in the management available in the CICU