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That includes a recently launched ECMO program. University Health System has a dedicated neonatal transport team and operates a specially designed NICU ambulance that features a wider cab to accommodate a transport incubator, and carries two large tanks needed to provide the correct mix of oxygen and air to newborns. "Congenital heart disease is a team effort," says Steven R. Neish, MD, Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at the Health Science Center. "The programs that deliver the best care to children with congenital heart disease are programs that empower multi-specialty and multi-disciplinary teams. No single physician can achieve the same excellent patient outcomes as a high-functioning, collaborative, committed team of professionals. Children with congenital heart disease and the families of children with congenital heart disease have important, lifelong needs for excellence in care delivery." University Hospital operates a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab dedicated to children, staffed by a pediatric-trained cath lab team. Each member of the team is certified in pediatric advanced life support. Pediatric cardiologists can diagnose and treat many heart problems without major surgery, using the latest technology and procedures. For example, Christopher Curzon, DO, Medical Director of the hospital's Pediatric and Congenital Interventional Catheterization Program, is using the newly approved Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve, which can delay subsequent open-heart surgeries for children with a number of different congenital defects. One special program at University Health System is a weekly, high-risk single ventricle clinic for children with the most complex congenital heart defects — those in which the child has only one pumping chamber, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. These children require a complex treatment plan over the first few years of life — one that can include multiple surgeries, catheterizations and other treatments. As an academic medical center, the physicians and nurses are dedicated to research and innovation, developing new and better treatments and applying those advances to the routine care of patients. "We're extremely mindful of the value of research and multi-institutional partner- ships," Dr. Husain says. "I think we set ourselves apart from other programs in the region in that we historically are involved at the national level in multi-institutional studies and other projects that are aimed to improve how we deliver care for congenital heart disease." Among those studies, the Heart Center is the lead institution in a national study looking at how best to reduce the risk of infections in children who have sternotomies for open-heart surgery. It was a principal site in a Society of Thoracic Surgeons study on the geographic variability of congenital heart disease. Another study looks at how single-ventricle patients can be better managed between their operations for improved survival. In the Community and Beyond The program has deep roots in the community, going back to the 1989 arrival of John Calhoon, MD, now Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Health Science Center. Dr. Calhoon launched a pediatric heart surgery program at University Hospital, offering advanced surgical procedures to families in South Texas and beyond. The program is also committed to humanitarian efforts worldwide. Dr. Husain is Surgical Director of HeartGift San Antonio, which has brought 30 children from developing nations to San Antonio for corrective congenital heart surgeries since 2008. "We understand that there's a huge disparity in terms of how congenital heart disease care is afforded to patients — not only within our own country but around the world," Dr. Husain said. "And we find a lot of value in partnering with community leaders and citizens to create a philanthropic and humanitarian way they can get involved in caring for patients with congenital heart disease." For more information about the South Texas Pediatric Congenital Heart Center at University Health System, call 210-341-7722 or visit universitychildrenshealth.com/pediatric-cardiology. ■ Post-surgery in the Pediatric Cardiac Care Unit University Hospital's dedicated cardiac catheterization lab for children is staffed by a pediatric-trained team. (L–R) Adil Husain, MD, Steven Neish, MD, and Roozbeh Taeed, MD COV ER FE AT UR E