Every year, thousands of children and families across the U.S. face the complex diagnosis of cardiomyopathy — a potentially life-altering heart condition. Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, requires a comprehensive team approach to diagnose and manage the condition in children and adults.
For families seeking such care, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt was recently recognized for consistently providing high-quality cardiac care and specialized disease management to children with cardiomyopathy.
The Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation (CCF), a national nonprofit committed to improving the health outcomes and quality of life for children with cardiomyopathy, has renewed Monroe Carell’s Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Program as a Center of Care.
“Cardiomyopathies come in so many different varieties. We are proud of our comprehensive program, recognized again by the CCF, that allows us to deliver personalized care for each patient with cardiomyopathy,” said David Bearl, MD, MA, associate professor of Pediatrics and medical director of the Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Therapies team at Monroe Carell.
CCF gives accreditation to institutions based on self-reported hospital data, which is evaluated on the volume of pediatric cardiomyopathy patients, variety of pediatric patient services offered, expertise in the treatment and management of cardiomyopathy in children, and affiliation with an academic research institution.
“This recognition by CCF is reflective of the national reputation that our program has attained as a premier center for management of some of the most challenging patients in the world of pediatric cardiology,” said Scott Baldwin, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, co-director of the Pediatric Heart Institute (PHI) and the Katrina Overall McDonald Professor of Pediatrics. “I am extremely proud of our entire PHI team for their dedication and work in care of these patients.”
The Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Program at Monroe Carell is one of the largest programs in the country treating patients with heart problems from before birth through adulthood.
According to the CCF, cardiomyopathy diagnosed in children is divided into five types based on the specific damage to the heart muscle. Some patients may be diagnosed with more than one type of cardiomyopathy, and the diagnosis can change over time.
Only a quarter of those diagnosed with the disease have a known cause, which can include viral infections, genetics, high blood pressure, heart rhythm problems and congenital heart defects. Not every child with cardiomyopathy experiences symptoms, sometimes making diagnosis more difficult.
The Monroe Carell clinic offers comprehensive cardiovascular screening, including advanced cardiac imaging with MRI and CT, exercise testing, ambulatory ECG monitoring, comprehensive genetic testing and psychosocial support.
CCF’s Centers of Care Program was established in 2017 to recognize excellence in diagnosing and treating pediatric cardiomyopathy and to provide families with information to assist them in selecting a treatment center in their area. Monroe Carell’s program received accreditation in the first year. It is estimated that more than 30,000 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with some form of cardiomyopathy, according to CCF.
Information about CCF’s Center of Care program and selection criteria is available on CCF’s website under “Family Resources.”
