CHILDREN'S CARDIOLOGY AND FAMILY HEART DISEASES UNIT
Unit Manager: Dr. Constancio Medrano López
- What is pediatric cardiology?
- What are familial heart diseases?
- Studies and treatments
- Team
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It is the specialty that studies cardiovascular diseases in children (under 14 years of age). The most common, accounting for 1 in every 100 newborns, are CONGENITAL HEART DISEASES. These include a wide spectrum from those with minimal repercussion and those that require medical, interventional (catheterization), or surgical treatments. With current advances, survival is excellent and with adequate follow-up the quality of life can be normal, including aspects such as sports. There are other heart diseases in our area such as acquired heart diseases such as KAWASAKI disease, myocarditis and pericarditis. ARRHYTHMIAS that include electrical disorders of the heart such as extrasystoles, tachycardias, bradycardias and blockages. He also studies patients.
Objectives:
In our unit the DIAGNOSIS AND FOLLOW-UP of heart disease or it is ruled out in the face of symptoms such as MURTER, SYNCOPE, or the presence of CHEST PAIN or PALPITATION. Possible associations with SYNDROMES (such as DOWN syndrome), with cardiovascular complications of pathologies (such as OBESITY), with inflammatory diseases (such as PERICARDITIS) or with certain treatments (such as drugs for ADHD, ONCOLOGICAL processes) are investigated. Also, as we will see, families with a history of SUDDEN DEATH in young people, or diseases of possible genetic origin, are studied. Those who develop symptoms while doing SPORTS or perform high-intensity sports are also studied and require prior evaluation and follow-up.
They are also made INDICATIONS and SECOND OPINIONS on Interventional (catheterization), Surgical and Electrophysiological treatments. You are guided and informed about the advantages and disadvantages of specific techniques as well as the professionals and centers that have the best experiences and results.
It is a new subspecialty that seeks the diagnosis and treatment of familial, hereditary and possible genetic heart diseases.
Some of them are very common and others are rare diseases. They include a wide spectrum of cardiovascular diseases such as MYOCARDYOPATHIES, CANALOPATHIES (syndromes such as long QT, Brugada and others), and diseases of the AORTA (such as Marfan syndrome).
These diseases are the main cause of SUDDEN DEATH in young people and their prevention is one of our fundamental objectives, through the use of drugs, sports recommendations or devices such as defibrillators.
Thanks to advances in GENETIC STUDIES, which through techniques such as NGS allow for massive studies and at a low cost, we can determine inheritance, the possibility of developing certain diseases, as well as provide follow-up and specific recommendations for each family member. Reproductive counseling and prenatal diagnosis can also be performed.
Objective:
The approach is global, seeking the DIAGNOSIS or its exclusion, by carrying out family trees, including clinical studies in adults and pediatrics, determining who has data on these diseases and to what degree of involvement (PHENOTYPE). It is complemented by genetic study, establishing whether they carry the significant genetic variants that may predispose them to developing the disease (GENOTYPE). By combining this individual and global family information, more precise and personalized diagnoses can be established.
In all cases, ALL THE necessary COMPLEMENTARY TESTS are performed and a monitoring and treatment plan is established where appropriate. Children and young people are monitored during periods of maximum growth and specific recommendations are made regarding sports or other activities.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT: In all cases, risk factors are sought to avoid SUDDEN DEATH and prevention indications are made in those who are high, recommending and implanting a DEFIBRILLATOR if necessary.
In each type of Familial Heart Disease, other THERAPEUTIC INDICATIONS AND SECOND OPINIONS are made on pharmacological management, electrophysiological, interventional or surgical treatment.
The approach is GLOBAL AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY FOCUSED ON FAMILIES coordinated by cardiologists specialized in adult and pediatric familial heart diseases, collaborating with other cardiological specialties (imaging, functional tests, arrhythmologists, electrophysiologists) and guiding other specialists on REPRODUCTIVE COUNSEL (geneticists, obstetricians), SUPPORT PSYCHOLOGICAL, SPORTS RECOMMENDATIONS
Children's Cardiology (under 14 years):
- Echocardiography
- Electrocardiogram
- Holter ECG
- Kardia type ECG devices
- Stress Test
- Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
- Coronary Computed Tomography
Familial heart diseases:
- In addition to the previous
- Genetic studies using NGS techniques
- Pharmacological provocation test
- Implantable ECG devices
- Defibrillator implantation
