Miami-based Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute is now performing bedside transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closures for newborns.
The minimally invasive procedure is done directly in the neonatal intensive care unit, allowing medically fragile infants to remain in their own isolette or crib without the risks of transport to a catheterization lab, according to a Sept. 22 system news release.
The approach was pioneered by Shyam Sathanandam, MD, the hospital’s new chief of cardiovascular medicine and co-director of the institute.
Under Dr. Sathanandam’s leadership, Nicklaus Children’s also plans to launch the nation’s first traveling PDA closure program, extending care to children admitted at other hospitals across South Florida, according to the release.
