>> And joining us now is Dr. Brian Clark, Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Penn State Health
Children's Hospital. Thanks for being with us. >> Thank you for having me.
>> What a remarkable story. Tell us about cardiac surgery at Penn
State Health Children's Hospital. >> Well, the pediatric heart team at
our Children's Hospital cares for all forms of congenital heart disease, which is heart disease
that is present in babies at birth, a heart defect present at birth. Approximately one in
100 children born has a heart defect. >> Wow!
>> Some of these heart defects are not so severe, but they require early surgery.
And surgical repair can be delayed until later in infancy or until early childhood.
On the other hand, some are more severe and require repair in the early newborn period.
Approximately half of the children that we take care of with heart surgery are under
one year of age. So caring for babies with heart disease is an important part of our practice.
>> Yeah, absolutely. Now, you were recognized by US News & World Report as one of the best
programs in the nation. What makes your program so special?
>> Well, in recent years, the methodology that the US News has used to rank pediatric heart and
cardiology programs has increasingly relied upon patient outcomes, which means how well patients do
following heart surgery. And those outcomes are things that can be measured like hospital survival
and avoidance of complications. Our program has consistently for many years offered outstanding
outcomes to patients and families, and our hospital survival has been well above the
national average for quite a long time. >> Yeah. And certainly, Kaden is a perfect
example of that. Now, you work very closely with pediatric cardiology,
and labor and delivery to coordinate deliveries when you know there may be a problem with the
baby's heart. How do you all work together? >> That's correct. It's a complex situation
involving a lot of providers. But usually, -- -- heart defects in babies can be found on routine
ultrasound. When a heart defect is found, perhaps by an obstetrician, the mother is usually referred
to a pediatric cardiologist with special expertise in imaging, who does a dedicated ultrasound of
the baby's heart. Depending on what the heart disease is, it may be recommended that the mother
delivers the baby at a children's hospital that can offer pediatric heart surgery. In that case,
we would offer the mother consultations with all of the specialist providers that would be
caring for the baby after birth, such as cardiologists, neonatologists, and surgeons.
>> And we have heard you say that you do an amazing job working with parents,
breaking down all of this information, and really putting them at ease. How do you take care of the
families during this very difficult time? >> Well, I really consider that one of the
most important aspects of my job, and it's one of the things that I find the most pleasurable.
I enjoy meeting with them at this time, which often feels like a crisis, and trying to take a
complex and potentially overwhelming situation and make it as simple, understandable, and manageable
as possible. I like to take as much time as they need. And I really feel like the most important
part of that conversation is letting them know just how much their family means to us, and how
much the care of their child means to us. >> Well, you certainly put them at ease.
Dr. Clark, thank you. >>
Thank you. >> And if you would like more information,
or if you would like to schedule an appointment about Penn State Health Children's Hospital,
visit online at pennstatehealth.org/childrens. Let's check in with Denise.