Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy

The Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy program at Children’s Hospital of Michigan is a dedicated program that provides specialized care to pediatric patients with heart failure and cardiomyopathy who require close follow-up and may need evaluation for advanced therapies like ventricular assist device and heart transplant.

The heart failure team conducts evaluation for etiology of heart failure- including genetic testing for cardiomyopathies, monitors closely for clinical changes, is able to determine need for additional studies like laboratory testing, exercise stress test, ambulatory cardiac monitoring, cardiac catheterization and need for devices. We have a highly engaged team comprising of heart failure cardiologists, nurse practitioners, social worker, nutritionist and pharmacist who provide comprehensive care to this highly unique patient population.

In patients that do not respond well to oral medications, we are able to arrange for home inotropic therapy and if all else fails, offer prompt evaluation for heart transplant and /or ventricular assist devices as necessary.
Potential conditions that might benefit from this program, patients with:

• Dilated cardiomyopathy
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy
• Chemotherapy induced cardiomyopathy
• Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
• Left ventricle non compaction cardiomyopathy
• Uremic cardiomyopathy
• Failing Fontan with protein losing enteropathy/plastic bronchitis/chronic effusions/cyanosis with preserved function
• Failing Fontan with impaired ventricular function
• Adult congenital heart disease and heart failure
• Patients who do not fit into above groups but may need evaluation of heart transplant in not-so-distant future.

Heart Failure Team

• Physicians- Swati Sehgal MD, Jennifer Blake MD.
• Nurse practitioners: Lauren Kelm DNP, CPNP, Brooke Leite CPNP
• Social worker, Cassie Stewart, MSW
• Nutritionist, Lyndsay Beaupre, RD
• Pharmacist: Patricia Rayner