Healing Experience

Print this Page

An experienced, interdisciplinary team of pediatric cardiac specialists

At Riley Hospital and the Riley Heart Center, the combined experience and clinical insight of the physicians treating pediatric cardiac patients is matched by few facilities in the United States. This has created a level of trust and confidence among referring physicians throughout the Midwest, across the country and around the world.

Furthering that standard of excellence, infants and children receiving cardiac treatment at Riley do so in the only hospital in the state dedicated exclusively to the acute care of pediatric patients. Pediatric experts in every medical and surgical specialty and subspecialty are available 24 hours a day to address any additional health problem the child may face.

Care that begins before birth

Once a specific cardiac risk factor or other symptom, such as an irregular heartbeat, has been detected in an unborn child, the clinicians of Riley Hospital begin preparation. Using the fetal echocardiogram as a starting point, a coordinated program of management and treatment is developed with the perinatology and surgical staffs. A comprehensive plan is created that anticipates likely difficulties and complications.

All the while, dialogue and counseling takes place with the parents and the referring physician.

Then, at the time of birth and delivery, the Riley heart team is ready for whatever the patient's diagnosis may necessitate. Depending on the severity of the heart lesion, immediate surgical repair may be indicated.

For other patients, such as the very small premature babies with less time-dependent but still critical heart defects, careful monitoring and medical management in conjunction with the neonatal intensivists may prove more beneficial. For those with minor defects, efficient and precise assessment allows the pediatric cardiologists to develop a plan for discharge and future care.

Advanced neonatal care, before and after surgery

Riley Hospital's 47 bed newborn intensive care unit is recognized across the United States for expert care of the neonate. In close alignment with Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley Hospital is a National Institutes of Health research center for perinatal pediatrics.

In Riley's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a full complement of care and clinical technology is available to both monitor and treat infants born with severe heart defects, many of whom face other medical challenges as well. The Riley NICU is staffed 24 hours a day with board-certified neonatologists. A large staff of neonatal nurse practitioners and clinical specialists is also available.

Riley is one of the few centers offering Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for neonates and infants with failing heart function and nitric oxide (NO), the newest and one of the most effective treatments for pulmonary hypertension. The NICU is also the operational center for the Riley transport service, deploying both specially equipped mobile intensive care units and the Clarian LifeLine helicopter. No child in the state or region is too far away to be treated at Riley.

AllPatients

[Keywords: cardiac, premature babies, neonatal care, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, ECMO, heart]

US News - America's Best Children's Hospitals 2008

Web Design: NetMediaOne