HJAR Jul/Aug 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2025 65 Markus Renno, MD, MPH, FAAP, FSCMR Cardiologist and Medical Director of Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Arkansas Children’s Hospital than recovery from surgery, typically only requiring an overnight hospital stay. Early experience using these valves in the mitral and tricuspid valve position has mirrored the excellent results that have been achieved from transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with restoration of normal heart valve function. Maintaining involvement in active ongoing research projects and remaining mindful of the evolving technologies available to patients today have established the Arkansas Children’s Hospital cath lab as a leader in providing state-of-the-art minimally invasive care for children and adults with congenital heart disease. Impactful transplantation discoveries Research initiated in Arkansas focuses on partial heart transplantation as a new approach to delivering growing heart valve implants for children. This research program began in November 2023 and continues today. Partial heart transplants differ from conventional heart transplants because only part of the heart, containing the necessary heart valve, is transplanted, while sparing the native pumping chambers. Sparing the pumping chambers avoids many complications of conventional heart transplants. Additionally, a care plan for conventional heart valve implants commits the child to serial reoperations to exchange the implants with bigger versions until an adult-size implant can be used. Partial heart transplantation delivers the world’s first growing heart valve implants, further sparing the child from reoperations for implant exchanges. The research group studies the transplant biology of partial heart transplantation in animals to make this new procedure safer for children. They are currently working on lowering the level of immunosuppression required for partial heart transplantation. The benefits of this ongoing research study are not fully known yet, but the positive impacts it has already made through partial heart transplantations are promising signs of what is to come. Partial heart transplantation offers more than a growing valve — it offers growing hope. These breakthroughs signal a future where fewer children face repeat surgeries, and where “wait and see” is replaced by “watch them thrive.” Cardiovascular care for both acquired and congenital heart diseases and conditions in infants, children, adolescents, and young adults will evolve and change. Outpatient and virtual options continue to expand as parents and caregivers look for ease of access, and new tools and technologies will become available for providers to explore the most efficient ways to provide leading-edge, quality care to their patient population. n Michael Angtuaco, MD, FAAP, FSCAI, FPICS, is a car- diologist andmedical director of the pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He is an associate professor of pediatrics in pediatric cardiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. T. Konrad Rajab, MD, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He is an assistant pro- fessor of surgery in the division of pediatric cardiac surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Markus Renno,MD,MPH,FAAP,FSCMR, is a cardiolo- gist andmedical director of advanced cardiovascular imaging atArkansas Children’s Hospital.He is an as- sociate professor of pediatrics and radiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. However, technological advancements have recently enabled experts to remotely access and guideMRI and CT scans when the local team needs help. Some pioneers have used this technology to take on the mission of improved access to cardiovascular imaging services for complex congenital heart disease. For example, Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale, part of the Arkansas Children’s Health System, deployed the Radiology Operations Command Center (ROCC), becoming one of the first hospitals in the country to enable remote scanning for congenital cardiac MRI and CT scans. According to ROCCmanufacturer Phillips, the system’s key features include an intuitive user interface, private and secure architecture, multi-vendor connectivity, and backward compatibility with the scanner install base. This model of care is expected to deliver highly specialized services and encourage partnerships among other hospitals and pediatric heart care teams. Innovative technologies Minimally invasive procedures to replace heart valves have become an integral option for the management of patients with congenital heart disease over the past decade, including the novel technique of transcatheter mitral valve replacement. This procedure was performed successfully last year in theArkansas Children’s Hospital cath lab, marking the first time this technique has been used for a pediatric patient in the state. This is an excellent example of a non- surgical approach to repairing diseased valves, which does not require incisions or cardiopulmonary bypass. Recovery from this procedure is much quicker T. Konrad Rajab, MD Cardiothoracic Surgeon Arkansas Children’s Hospital