Pathology Heart Specimens
The division maintains a world-renowned heart museum of organs representing a wide spectrum of congenital and acquired disease. In recent years, it has included hearts removed from transplanted patients. A remarkable teaching collection, it contains more than 2,300 specimens that are catalogued in an electronic database.
Cardiology Database
Fellows have access to one of the nation’s largest and oldest cardiology databases. This robust database has over 70,000 patients followed at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh since the mid 1960’s. This is an invaluable resource for clinical research.
Heart-to-Heart Parent Support Group
Since William Neches, MD, joined the Cardiology Division in 1972, an attitude of involving families in the care and support of their children and themselves has prevailed. He formally organized the Heart-to-Heart parent support group in 1974.This network has three major functions which include: weekly in-hospital visitation of children and families admitted to cardiology; telephone support generated by Heart-to-Heart coordinators to families whose children are recently diagnosed with heart disease; and a yearly picnic which has become the largest family-centered event sponsored by any Children’s Hospital group.
Heart Camp
In 1991, Dr. Neches established a yearly Heart Camp. Now attended by over 100 children, it is funded through community donations with no cost to the family. Any child age 8 to 16 with heart disease can attend. Older patients serve as counselors. Fellows typically spend a day or more voluntarily staffing heart camp.