When one-day-old Caleigh was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect, her parents had a hard time wrapping their minds around what it meant. But when they were referred to a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Cardiology, CHD became…
Sports can be an important part of childhood and being active in general is recommended for all kids to stave off obesity, increase cardiovascular health, improve mental health, and foster a sense of belonging with peers. One of the questions…
During National CPR and AED Awareness Week, June 1–7, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart Center places special emphasis on educating families about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). The week was set aside by Congress in 2007 to highlight how lives can…
Sarah and Duncan learned early in her pregnancy that their twin boys would have a unique path in life. Wesley Blackwood, MD, pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Cardiology, told them during the second trimester that one of the…
When studying medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Timotheus Watson, MD, thought he wanted to be a general surgeon – until a rotation in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology changed his perspective. He said he was thrilled by the technology that…
Holly Bauser-Heaton, MD, Children's Cardiology pediatric cardiologist, says her mom keeps a picture she drew as a little girl that showed her doing surgery on a patient. It bears a striking resemblance to the work she does now in Children’s…
Conventional fetal cardiovascular imaging—fetal echocardiography—is typically done at 18 to 24 weeks of gestation, or at the end of the second trimester, allowing doctors to view the structure and function of a baby’s heart and diagnose most Congenital Heart Defects…
A few weeks before her daughter’s birth, second-time mom Allison learned that her baby would be born with a serious CHD called tricuspid atresia. This defect occurs when the valve that controls blood flow from the right atrium to the…
Nicole had episodes of a racing heartbeat now and then during her childhood, but she didn’t know what it was or how to talk about it with her mom. When Nicole was 15, she happened to have an episode when…
Children who have been diagnosed with an arrhythmia, palpitations or chest pains receive coordinated, specialized care at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Heart Center’s arrhythmia program. It is the largest clinical program in the Southeast, caring for more than 1,000…