Heart Failure

The PACT program (Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Therapies) was established in 2004, and was one of the first such programs for children.  Since its beginning, we have treated nearly 2000 children with heart failure from all causes, ranging from genetic cardiomyopathies, to the most complex forms of congenital heart disease.

PACT is a comprehensive patient-centered program for the diagnosis and treatment of children with heart failure.  The overarching goal of PACT is to maintain the health of children with heart failure through the entire spectrum of disease, ranging from screening of asymptomatic children at risk for heart failure, to the treatment of those children who require medications, or who require more advanced therapies including mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation.  Rather than focusing only on the time of transplantation and beyond, we seek to intervene at an earlier time, to preserve the function of the native heart where possible; and to prepare children and their families for transplantation when that is necessary.  The model of care that is central to the PACT program is to form a partnership with the PACT team, the family, and the community-based physicians in order to optimize access to care and to specialized expertise.