Posted in Doctors Work

The family of one of our patients has written a beautiful letter of appreciation. It shows how many people and various roles work together to make the experience as easy as possible for our patients.
Dear Doctors, Nurses and CHW staff Last month my son Daniel was admitted to CHW for open heart surgery. About five weeks before that occurred we also attended your facility for an angiogram in the cardiac catheter laboratory. I am writing to thank those of you who have made a significant event in my life and more so in my son's a wonderful and pleasant event without fault. Dr Jonathan Mervis and his team conducted the procedure in the cat. lab. Dr Mervis is a highly professional doctor who commenced our most recent adventure to CHW with style (this being our fourth surgery not limiting other procedures). Our visit to his lab went smoothly and he managed to clear path for our brilliant heart surgeon to undertake his own role. I am very grateful for Dr Mervis' talen...

From the Heart is an Australia and New Zealand Fontan Registry research study open to children, young people and adults with a Fontan circulation, and their parents and siblings. The study is focused on better understanding the health, wellbeing and experiences of people of all ages with a Fontan circulation, as well as the experiences of their parents, brothers and sisters.  The study is coordinated by Laura Mitchell at the Heart Centre for Children and the University of NSW in Sydney, in collaboration with the ANZ Fontan Registry and involves filling in one questionnaire at home. If you or your child are a part of the ANZ Fontan Registry and would like to know more about how to participate in this study, please contact Laura Mitchell on 1800 025 509 (free call from anywhere in Australia) or send an email to: fromtheheart@mcri.edu.au Click here to take a look at our latest study newsletter. Warmly,
Laura and the From the Heart study team ...

We are incredibly proud of all of our surgeons and the work that they do, and Ian Nicholson is certainly no exception.  He is one of four NSW nominees for Australian of the Year 2016.  From the award website: "One of Australia's leading cardiothoracic surgeons, Dr Ian Nicholson has a heart of gold. A regular volunteer with Open Heart International since his first trip to Fiji in 1994, Ian has travelled throughout the Pacific and Africa to give people in developing countries the lifesaving surgery they deserve yet cannot afford. Each year, Ian lands in places like Papua New Guinea, Rwanda and Cambodia to run a 'patient production line' that treats both children and adults suffering from a range of treatable conditions from congenital heart defects to rheumatic heart disease. With selfless generosity, Ian has mentored medical teams in developing countries for two decades, passing on his skills and knowledge to help them gain self-sufficiency. Operatin...

Last month we welcomed a new surgeon to the team.  Dr Yishay Orr comes to us with many years of experience in paediatric cardiothoracic surgery, and we are delighted to have her join the Heart Centre for Children.

Two of our cardiologists, Dr Christian Turner and A/Prof Gary Sholler, were involved in a national study of cardiomyopathy that was published last week in Circulation.  The study found that after the first year following diagnosis, the majority of patients are well and do not need to take medication. 

The paper is entitled 'Long-term outcomes of dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosed during childhood: results from a national population-based study of childhood cardiomyopathy.'

To read the abstract or the full article, click here.

Dr Ian Nicholson (Cardiac Surgeon), Dr Phil Roberts (Cardiac Interventionalist) and Dr Ashish Katewa (Surgical Fellow), together with staff from The Children's Hospital at Westmead and other hospitals around Australia recently went to Cambodia as part of Operation Open Heart, a not-for-profit organisation that provides cardiac services to children in developing countries.  There, the group met some very special little patients and their families.

See the photos from their trip here.