Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/538813
The unit will have 12 rooms for kids needing any level of cardiac care, and six procedure rooms. A dedicated group of specially trained nurses, child life specialists and technicians staff the unit. Their only job is to take care of young patients with heart problems. "We are trying to nurture a culture where everybody feels that they can contribute to the care of the patients," says Roozbeh Taeed, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Health Science Center and Medical Director of the PCCU. "We encourage our nursing staff, our pharmacists and our therapists to participate in rounds, to contribute more than just the diagnosis of the patient and how many days they've been in the hospital, but to give us a better sense of what the patient requires." The redesign will also prepare parents for taking care of these often-fragile kids when they return home. Nurses work with them throughout the process. Computers loaded with educational and self-directed software in each patient room and in common areas allow them to learn about their child's condition and treatment. And near the end of the stay, both parents and child can move into one of two special "care-by-parents" rooms, where the parents actually assume care for the child in a safe environ- ment with experts nearby, and gain confidence that they can manage on their own. "When the child comes back from surgery, they're really sick," says Mickey Ryerson, DNP, Senior Vice President of Pediatric Clinical Services at University Health System. "Then, as they start to improve, the parents are more and more involved in their care to the point where they're actually taking care of them themselves — with oversight from the team before they leave the hospital." This less-stressful environment has other added benefits. "For a lot of the moms, we want them to breastfeed," Ryerson says. "They get really stressed out, and that confounds their ability to produce milk. They're worried and not eating well. So the more we can encourage them to stay healthy, and give them some stress release, it's good for both mother and child." Dr. Husain was recently awarded a grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to support an endowed chair in congenital heart disease. The funds also support the develop- ment of bilingual educational materials about congenital heart defects, the treatments required and the expected outcomes. Parents will be able to access these modules from the computers in the PCCU rooms or common areas. Research and Innovation The South Texas Pediatric Congenital Heart Center at University Health System is already known for its excellent care of children with all kinds of heart conditions, with some of the best outcomes in the state. The team includes cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, anesthesiologists, neonatal and pediatric intensive care specialists, nurses and others, working closely with other pediatric teams throughout University Health System. A'Vayah Creighton, 18 months old, was born with a complex congenital heart defect. After her transfer to University Hospital and four surgeries — the first at 2 weeks of age — she is thriving.