U-M Congenital Heart Center invites parents to submit queries on heart defect surgeries

The public, including parents of babies with severe heart defects, are invited to submit questions for inclusion in a tweet chat about surgical approaches for heart defects from noon-2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 on Twitter.

New research by the University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center shows infants born with a severely underdeveloped heart are more likely to survive to their first birthday when treated with a new shunt procedure - yet it may not be thef safest surgery long term.

Richard G. Ohye, M.D., associate professor of surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School and pediatric cardiac surgery at the U-M Congenital Heart Center, and John Charpie, M.D., pediatric cardiologist at U-M, will answer submitted questions.

Ohye was lead author of a featured study recently presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions that compared surgeries for infant heart defects.

Babies born with a critically underdeveloped left side of their hearts require three surgeries to correct the problem. A portion of the first operation, the Norwood Procedure, includes a connection to deliver blood from the heart to the pulmonary arteries feeding the lungs so that blood can pick up oxygen.

Parents can ask about the results of a one a first-of-its-kind 15-center trial by the Pediatric Heart Network that compared a new modification of the Norwood using a right ventricle to pulmonary artery shunt to connect the functioning right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, to a traditional version of the shunt procedure.

Each shunt procedure has theoretical advantages, but physicians previously didn't have hard evidence about which option to choose.

To participate, you must first have a Twitter account. To submit your questions for inclusion in the chat, first follow UMHealthSystem on Twitter, if you are not already doing so, then direct message your questions in 140 characters or less to @UMHealthSystem by Jan. 19.

Depending on the volume of questions, there may not be enough time to answer all questions received, though every effort will be made to do so.

http://www.med.umich.edu/mott/chc/tweet.html.