Duke Children's Hospital has been named a Center of Care by the Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation (CCF), a national nonprofit committed to improving the health outcomes and quality of life for children with cardiomyopathy. Duke Children’s received this recognition for consistently providing high-quality cardiac care and specialized disease management for children with cardiomyopathy and is the only Center of Care in North Carolina.
Centers are recognized based on a hospital meeting CCF’s criteria of managing a high volume of cardiomyopathy patients, offering a variety of pediatric services, specializing in the treatment and management of cardiomyopathy in children, and affiliation with an academic research institution. Information about CCF’s Center of Care program and selection criteria is available on CCF’s website.
Cardiomyopathy is a chronic and potentially life-threatening heart condition that affects how the heart pumps blood through the body. Pediatric cardiomyopathy is a complex and variable disease with only a quarter of those diagnosed having a known cause. Like other chronic diseases, pediatric cardiomyopathy requires a team approach to comprehensive care as symptoms and complications may need to be controlled by multiple medications, surgery, or implantable devices. Ultimately, the type of cardiomyopathy and its severity will determine the treatment plan.
The Centers of Care program was established in 2017 to recognize excellence in diagnosing and treating pediatric cardiomyopathy and to provide families with standardized center information to assist them in selecting an expert treatment center in their area. “We are glad that Duke Children’s Hospital will be joining more than 40 other centers across the U.S. and Canada that are all highly skilled and experienced in treating all forms of cardiomyopathy in children,” said Lisa Yue, CCF’s founder and president of the board.
“Receiving accreditation from the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation is a notable distinction and reaffirms our commitment to providing the best quality of care to our patients and families,” said Ann M. Reed, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of Duke Children’s.