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, we diagnose and monitor heart disease, or rule it out when symptoms such as heart murmurs, syncope, chest pain, or palpitations are present. We investigate possible associations with syndromes (such as Down syndrome), cardiovascular complications of other conditions (such as obesity), inflammatory diseases (such as pericarditis), or certain treatments (such as medications for ADHD or cancer). As we will see, we also study families with a history of sudden death in young people or diseases of possible genetic origin. We also evaluate individuals who develop symptoms while playing sports or participating in high-intensity exercise and require prior assessment and follow-up.
We also provide guidance and second opinions on interventional (catheter-based), surgical, and electrophysiological treatments. We offer information and guidance on the advantages and disadvantages of specific techniques, as well as on professionals and centers with the best experience 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 comprehensive, seeking a diagnosis or ruling out the disease through family tree analysis, including clinical studies in adults and children, to determine who has evidence of these diseases and the degree of severity (phenotype). This is complemented by genetic testing, establishing whether individuals carry significant genetic variants that may predispose them to developing the disease (genotype). Combining this individual and comprehensive family information allows for more precise and personalized diagnoses.
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 prevent SUDDEN DEATH and prevention measures are indicated in those where the risk is 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
