Paediatrics

Expert services for children

Royal Brompton & Harefield’s dedicated paediatric department is a national referral centre for children with heart and lung conditions. We offer a full range of diagnostic and surgical interventions from the prenatal stage onwards.

2008/09 highlights

A new consultant in paediatric and congenital heart surgery joins the team

• Olivier Ghez, consultant in paediatric and congenital heart surgery, joined the team in August. Mr Ghez trained in France and was previously consultant and reader in paediatric cardiothoracic surgery at La Timone Children’s Hospital in Marseille. His special interests include neonatal heart
  surgery, congenital heart diseases
  and circulatory assistance.

Second joint meeting in Fetal and Paediatric Cardiology and Paediatric Cardiac Surgery

• Royal Brompton Hospital and Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital joined forces to hold the second joint meeting in Fetal and Paediatric Cardiology and Paediatric Cardiac Surgery in October. This built on the success of the first meeting in Gothenburg in 2007 and strengthened the links between medical and nursing colleagues in terms of research and clinical care.

Royal Brompton’s paediatric teams to feature in a new BBC documentary

• The work of Royal Brompton’s paediatric teams will be highlighted in a new BBC documentary series after filming on the unit took place during 2008-09. ‘Children’s Rescue’ will focus on the team’s close relationship with CATS – the NHS Children’s Acute Transport Services team. CATS is responsible for stabilising and transporting children in need of specialist intensive care which cannot be provided by district general hospitals – for example new born babies who have a suspected congenital heart defect.

Specialist paediatric arrhythmia nurse appointed

• Children treated for arrhythmias at Royal Brompton will now be cared for by their own specialist nurse. Catherine Renwick – who previously worked as a paediatric cardiac liaison nurse – was appointed paediatric cardiac electrophysiology nurse specialist this year. Catherine will also be known as “Ben’s Nurse” as her appointment and post has been made possible by the fundraising efforts of The Ben Williams Trust.

Royal Brompton and Chelsea & Westminster expand high risk cardiac obstetric service

• The high risk cardiac obstetric service, run jointly with Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, continues to expand. The service provides pre-conception, antenatal and peripartum services for a wide range of patients with congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. Around 25 outpatients are reviewed every month and very high risk patients deliver their babies at Royal Brompton. This high-level tertiary care is only available because of the expertise and close working relationship between Royal Brompton and Chelsea & Westminster clinical teams.

Accolades for staff:

• Fetal cardiologist Dr Julene Carvalho has been appointed to the board of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) – a world leading organisation. She was invited to become a director as a result of her international contribution to the field of prenatal cardiology and is the only member of the board from a cardiology background, the others being specialists in fetal medicine. Julene is also chairperson for the ISUOG fetal heart interest group.

• Dr Yen Ho, honorary consultant, was awarded the title Professor of Cardiac Morphology by Imperial College London in September 2008. This was in recognition of her considerable academic achievement including more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, the high level of respect she commands in her field, and her important contributions to cardiac surgery.