Paving the way

In honor of American Heart Month, I’d like to tell you about Marcus Banda, a young man who was born with congestive heart failure.

At just 6 months old, Marcus was referred to Texas Children’s Heart Center where he was diagnosed with a condition requiring open heart surgery and annual follow-up visits with our cardiology team.

Thanks to the care of our congenital heart surgeons and cardiologists, Marcus is now a healthy 19 year old who firmly believes if he and his family had not wound up at Texas Children’s, he might not have made it.

Patients like Marcus come to Texas Children’s Heart Center every day in hopes of getting answers to their often complex medical needs. We welcome them and their families with open arms, and we are more often than not, able to help them due to our more than half a century of experience and expertise in caring for children’s hearts.

Ranked No. 1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Texas Children’s Heart Center sees more than 23,000 patients and performs more than 800 surgeries a year. Our Heart Center physicians and surgeons, and academic faculty at Baylor College of Medicine, are world-renowned leaders in pediatric cardiology, congenital heart surgery, cardiovascular anesthesiology and cardiac intensive care.

Our path to helping so many children with complex congenital heart conditions began shortly after Texas Children’s opened its doors in 1954. From the start, we were paving the way in pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, pioneering many of the now-standard procedures and therapies related to the diagnosis and treatment of children with cardiac problems.

As a leader in cardiology and heart surgery, we are committed to setting a new standard for the treatment of children and adults with congenital heart disease, and to continue developing innovative therapies for patients with these conditions.

One important part of our current and future efforts is our Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program. Led by esteemed cardiologist Dr. Peter Ermis as medical director, and Dr. Edward Hickey, a leading cardiovascular surgeon as surgical director, the program enables patients with congenital heart disease to receive seamless continuation of care from birth throughout adulthood.

As pediatric patients with congenital heart defects transition into adulthood, our multidisciplinary team of specialists advises patients on health and lifestyle choices for their adult needs. The hospital’s ACHD Program is accredited by the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) and is one of only three accredited programs in Texas.

Each year, more than 2,000 adults with congenital heart disease are seen in our clinic – in fact, our oldest current patient is 86 years old. This number is quickly growing and we are ready to accommodate all patients and walk hand-in-hand with them through adulthood.

Marcus is on his way to being one of these patients. His care team at the Heart Center are transitioning him into our ACHD program, where he will be cared for by experts who understand congenital heart disease and the complications it can cause in adults. Best of all, Marcus doesn’t have to leave Texas Children’s and those who have cared for him since he was a baby just because he reached a certain age.

This continuation of care is a relief to Marcus and his family. To me, it’s the right thing to do – a mantra we live by here at Texas Children’s. Doing the right thing for our patients and our families is our main goal and I appreciate everyone’s efforts in the Heart Center and across the organization in keeping this top of mind and at the core of everything you do.