Innovation and Respect for Every Child and Family
Clinical Care
Families bring their infants, children, and adolescents to Columbia both for exceptional family-centered care of everyday childhood problems and at moments in their lives when special expertise and innovative treatments are key. Our department members and collaborators throughout Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital provide the greatest depth and breadth of pediatric care in the region. We offer significant programs, expertise, and clinical research that are available nowhere else in the New York region. That’s why families come to us when it matters most. Read on to find out more about some of our notable achievements in 2022.
Babies Fare Better in Specialized Infant Cardiac Unit
The state-of-the-art Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Infant Cardiac Unit at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital is dedicated solely to cardiac care for infants up to three months old. The first of its kind in the world, the unit enables specialists in neonatal intensive care to work closely with pediatric cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons to give infants undergoing surgery for complex congenital heart disease the best chance for the best outcomes. From the beds to the medical and surgical equipment, everything is designed for the tiniest newborns. The unit offers specialized modes of hemodynamic support such as ECMO, cardiac assist devices including the Berlin Heart, and 3-D printing, which enables surgeons to examine precise replicas of each infants’ heart to help plan surgery. Every specialist who cares for infants in Columbia’s dedicated unit is board-certified in both neonatology and in cardiac intensive care. “That differentiation matters and I don’t think that level of specialization exists anywhere else,” says neonatologist Dr. Ganga Krishnamurthy, the unit’s medical director. A 2022 study from our team in the Journal of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery showed that this special focus makes a difference: our dedicated neonatal cardiac program has some of the lowest mortality and morbidity rates following cardiac surgery in preterm infants in the recent era.
Pediatric ECMO Unit is Re-Certified with Platinum Designation from ELSO
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, is a lifesaving measure for infants, children, and adults with life-threatening conditions such as acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, or severe respiratory failure. During ECMO a heart-lung machine oxygenates patients' blood outside the body, allowing time for their lungs or hearts to heal. Our hospital partner NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley’s Hospital is home to the only platinum-level designated pediatric ECMO center in the New York tri-state area. In 2022 our center received the highest level award from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) for the third consecutive term since 2016. For patients, families, and the health care community this award signifies our commitment to exceptional patient care, and an assurance of high-quality standards, specialized equipment and supplies, defined patient protocols, and advanced education of all staff members. “The pediatric and neonatal ECMO team at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley’s Hospital are immensely proud to be, once again, designated an ELSO Platinum Center of Excellence,” notes Columbia pediatric cardiologist Dr. Eva Cheung, who is medical director of the ECMO unit. “This represents the dedication of the multidisciplinary health care team who work tirelessly to provide exceptional and state-of-the-art care to the sickest babies and children in our area.”
Making the Most of the Briefest Lives
Fifteen years ago neonatologist Elvira Parravicini, MD was moved by the plight of a woman who knew her baby would be born with a severe genetic life-limiting condition, but who wanted to carry and deliver her baby anyway. Dr. Parravicini worked to ensure that the baby was delivered in a safe and comfortable environment and that her suffering was alleviated, and she helped family members spend precious time with their baby. This experience compelled Dr. Parravicini to create an innovative interdisciplinary program designed to provide the most loving environment for babies who live for only a short time after birth, while helping families navigate the immense burdens associated with this difficult journey.
Hear more about the Neonatal Comfort Care Program from three families who've shared their stories.
Each year about 20 percent of pregnant women cared for at CUIMC/NYP are diagnosed with fetal anomalies that are potentially life-limiting, and the Neonatal Comfort Care Program team is readily available for consultation and support. The program’s growth over time can be measured by the increase in the number of yearly encounters, from 20 in 2008 to more than 600 in 2022. “Because each baby’s life is precious, we are devoted to providing the best clinical care, but we are also committed to teaching and research to ensure that the NCCP model can become the standard of care around the world,” notes Dr. Parravicini. She and her team have been organizing seminars and training courses since 2011. In 2022, the three-day virtual International Training Course in Perinatal Palliative Care was attended by more than 200 providers from 34 states and 18 countries.
At the Leading Edge of Personalized Medicine
Precision medicine harnesses a patient’s unique genetic information to guide their care. For eight-year-old Susannah Rosen, precision medicine couldn’t be more precise. Under the care of Columbia pediatric geneticist Dr. Wendy Chung, Susannah was diagnosed at age two with a rare genetic disorder called KAND (KIF1A-associated neurological disorder). She is one of only 400 people around the world with this diagnosis, which is caused by mutations in the KIF1A gene. Over time Susannah has developed physical disabilities, seizures, and loss of vision. Dr. Chung advised Susannah’s parents to find other patients with KAND, and they started a foundation in 2017, connected with the other patients around the world known to have the disease, then raised funds for research and found scientists with the expertise and technologies to develop a treatment. Their efforts paid off: With Dr. Chung’s input, the n-Lorem Foundation tailor-made a drug to address the unique genetic error that caused Susannah’s disease, and in October 2022 Susannah was the first person to receive treatment for KAND. “Every other time we go into the hospital, it’s because something terrible has happened,” Susannah’s father, Luke Rosen, recently told the New York Times, in an article about Susannah’s pioneering therapy. “This time, there was hope for something that will heal her.” Susannah, her family, and Dr. Chung were also featured in the PBS documentary, "The Gene."