Pediheart: Pediatric Cardiology Today

This week we note and mourn the passing of pediatric cardiologist and thought leader Dr. Steven Lipshultz who passed on September 4, 2026. Dr. Lipshultz was one of the most significant cardiologists of the past half century and his contributions to the fields of pediatric cardiomyopathy, HIV cardiomyopathy and cardio-oncology were gigantic and meaningful. This week we turn back the clock and review a landmark work of Dr. Lipshultz from the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry that was published in 2003 in the NEJM and we speak with 3 pediatric cardiomyopathy experts as well as friends and colleagues of Dr. Lipshultz - namely Dr. Neha Bansal of NYU, Dr. Daphne Hsu of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Dr. Joseph Rossano of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Each shares their remembrances of this work and provide insights into the legacy of Dr. Lipshultz. 

doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa021715.

This week we review a recent work assessing the impact of birth day of the week on neurological outcomes amongst newborns undergoing CHD surgery. Why might certain days of the week be associated with higher degrees of white matter injury in the brain of newborns who have had congenital heart surgery? What are the potential mechanisms for this? What might be the unintended consequences of ‘controlling’ birth day of the week? We speak with the Associate Division Chief for Research within the Division of Cardiac Anesthesiology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and author of this week’s work, Dr. Jennifer Lynch.  DOI: 10.1016/j.xjon.2026.101700

This week we take a step back in time 4 years ago to recall when we spoke with noted cardiovascular surgeon Dr. John J. Lamberti who is Associate Professor of Surgery at Stanford University. Dr. Lamberti's career has spanned from the time of Dr. Robert Gross in the 1960's to present day with Dr. Frank Hanley and the team in Stanford. His career perfectly mirrors the transition from the 'old days' of cardiac surgery up until the present modern age and he shares his reminiscences of working with Dr. Robert Gross, Dr. Aldo Castaneda, Dr. Maurice Lev, Dr. Roberta Williams, Dr. Nadas and others. He also shares his thoughts on how to be a good mentor and what that takes from someone who has mentored many surgeons in the past 5 decades.

This week we review the use of right axillary artery access for aortic valvuloplasty in infants. Why would this approach potentially offer advantages versus the more traditional femoral or even carotid approach? What are the particular dangers of this approach? How should the interventionist pick the approach when planning an aortic valvuloplasty in an infant with valvar aortic stenosis? We speak with Dr. Jameel Al-Ata of King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this week. 

DOI: 10.1007/s00246-025-03991-6

This week we speak with Ms. Sharon Welsh BSN, RN about a novel project she has embarked upon called CLEAR CHD PHYSIOLOGY (on Instagram chdphysiology.icu) which is a physiology-based site intended to teach bedside critical care nurses about CHD physiology. What signs or symptoms are important and what is their meaning? Why is nursing at the bedside of a sick postoperative newborn so much more difficult than it was at the start of Ms. Welsh's career? How does Ms. Welsh use AI to create a flexible learning tool for RN's and all interested in congenital heart physiology? Ms. Welsh provides the answers this week.