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As part of the multidisciplinary setup in the CTICU, from diagnosis on, there’s a close collaborat ion between the cardiologists, surgeons, specialists and the families. HARJOT BASSI, MD, BOARD-CERTIFIED PEDIATRIC
as a secondary diagnosis after they failed their congenital heart screening. Others we see in the unit due to readmission for known cardiac disease or for a revision of previous cardiac surgery.” Dr. Bassi notes that the demand for CTICU services has continued to rise due to Rady Children’s reputation for clinical excellence and its position outside the San Diego region as a major referral center.
That’s why the multidisciplinary care and collaboration offered by Rady Children’s highly trained specialists is so critical. In the CTICU, pediatric cardiologists work alongside a variety of specialists to manage other life- threatening issues. Chief among them are airway issues. “One of the unique things about the CTICU is that we take care of patients with both complex cardiac conditions and airway abnormalities,” Dr. Bassi says. “It is very common with syndromes that cause congenital heart disease to also result in changes to the anatomy that require airway interventions. That’s why in the CTICU we work with ENTs and pulmonologists to provide these necessary interventions.” Prior to the creation of the CTICU, these patients would have been treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). While those units provide optimal care for critical patients, the CTICU offers the collaborative care that patients with multiple co-morbidities truly need. “These patients are a little more fragile because their physiology is so unique,” Dr. Bassi says, adding that patients
“Now, we get a lot of referrals from all over the West Coast, Arizona and Utah,” she says. “Hawaii has also always been a major referrer
INTENSIVIST, RESPIRATORY DIRECTOR OF THE CTICU AT RADY CHILDREN’S, ASSOCIATE CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS AT UC SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
in the CTICU not only benefit from the multidisciplinary teamwork, but also the technology available to them and the variety of procedures the unit is equipped to perform. “One thing that is so unique to our patient population in the CTICU that you would not see in the NICU or PICU is that their native
to Rady Children’s, and that has continued to grow. While these partners have the ability to do cardiac surgery, they can’t do transplants, so they refer to us, and it has been great to work with them on their complex cases.”
Why Multidisciplinary Care Matters For many of the patients in the CTICU, their cardiac issues are just the beginning of their health journey.
22 HEALTHY KIDS MAGAZINE SPRING 2024
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