DALLAS — Five-year-old Georgie was born missing one of the four chambers of his heart. He was diagnosed with atrioventricular canal defect and heterotaxy.
At four days old, Georgie had his first open-heart surgery.
It was the first time his mom, Jessica Castro, was experiencing anything like this. She was referred to Children's Medical Center Dallas, where her family was quickly enrolled in Children's Health Safe at Home Program.
It's designed for newborns with congenital heart defects, specifically for those requiring a shunt.
Each family is lent an iPad with an application that monitors their child's health information, like heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and weight. Parents are taught how to do it.
Doctors and nurses review the data every day and can notice even the slightest warning signs. With any concerns, patients can do telehealth or make a same-day in-person appointment. Families also have a direct cell phone number to the nurses in the program.
Callie Lenfest, a pediatric nurse practitioner for the Safe at Home Program, said, "You can see subtle changes and trends much earlier than before. We have been able to intervene before any real effect on the patients."
For Castro, it's a feeling of comfort to keep Georgie safe. He has endured four surgeries in five years.
Castro said this program is especially helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic since patients like her son are at high-risk for the novel coronavirus. "Right now with everything going on, you don't want to have these kids near the ER or the hospital. So it's good because we get to do everything from home."
Children's Health Safe at Program has been around for 10 years, evolving over time to provide families with more resources and support between surgeries.