b'POWERFUL CLOSING PDA IN PREMATURE INFANTSWITHOUT SURGERY. OUTCOMES Born at just 26 weeks, baby Austen faced health challenges from the start, including pulmonary hypertension, E. coli, sepsis, cleft lip and palate, and an eventual genetic diagnosis of trisomy 9p.RANKED ONE OF THE TOP 20 After being transferred to the Level IV NICU at Childrens Health in Dallas, Austen faced one n BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT significant challengeher ductus arteriosus hadnt closed properly.n CALLING DALLAS, TEXAS, HOME SINCE 2007 The ability to access every medical and surgical subspecialty within our hospital system can quickly bring to light complex conditions that require immediate and life-saving treatment, says Dr. Rashmin Savani, Division Chief of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Childrens Health and Driving breakthroughs Professor at UT Southwestern.across4distinct programs Austens medical team, consisting of UT Southwestern physicians who are experts in interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, radiology and neonatal-perinatal medicine, nFETAL Center/TeleFETAL/Fetal Heart GAME-CHANGING and her parents decided that a transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure would nLevel IV NICU RESEARCH give her the best chance for a positive outcome. Transcatheter closure in premature babies is relatively new. Only a few centers in the country, including The Heart Center at Childrens nTeleNICU/TeleTransport/TeleCooling Health, offer it for babies as small as two pounds. The smallest premature baby who nThrive Program underwent successful PDA device closure at Childrens Health so far weighed about 280+ ONGOING pounds (900 grams).31neonatologists, leading6STUDIES New devices have made transcatheter closure an option for extremely small babies, says Surendranath Veeram Reddy, M.D., pediatric cardiologist at Childrens Health and Associate disease-specific teamsProfessor at UT Southwestern, who specializes in interventional cardiology. In the past, these patients would have been sent to the operating room for surgical PDA ligation via the lateral 50+ SUB-nBronchopulmonary Dysplasia & Pulmonary thoracotomy approach. Transcatheter closure is a win for patients because the procedure is Artery HypertensionSPECIALTIES less invasive and offers fewer risks and much shorter recovery.nECMO nCongenital Diaphragmatic Hernia nIntestinal Failure and Rehabilitation nNeonatal Resuscitation nTransition-to-Home ProgramNICU parents and their babies are surrounded and supported by ancillary services suchas case managers,child life specialists, speech language therapists, lactation consultants, chaplains and psychologists.Jamie King, RN, RCIS, Cardiology Cath Lab at Childrens Health, and Dr. Suren Reddy, pediatric cardiologist at Childrens Health and Associate Professor at UT Southwestern, perform a procedure in the Cardiology Cath Lab.'