title: Can we talk? Reflections on effective communication between imager and interventionalist in congenital heart disease.
abstract: The rapid proliferation of catheter-mediated treatments for congenital heart defects has brought with it a critical need for cooperation and communication among the numerous physicians supporting these new and complex procedures. New interdependencies between physicians in specialties including cardiac imaging, interventional cardiology, pediatric cardiology, anesthesia, cardiothoracic surgery, and radiology have become apparent, as centers have strived to develop the best systems to foster success. Best practices for congenital heart disease interventions mandate confident and timely input from an individual with excellent adjunctive imaging skills and a thorough understanding of the devices and procedures being used. The imager and interventionalist must share an understanding of what each offers for the procedure, use a common terminology and spatial orientation system, and convey concise and accurate information about what is needed, what is seen, and what cannot be seen. The goal of this article is to review how the cardiovascular imaging specialists and interventionalists can work together effectively to plan and execute catheter interventions for congenital heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine and Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA. skutty@unmc.edu
authors.forename: Shelby
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kutty
authors.forename: Jeffrey W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Delaney
authors.forename: Larry A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Latson
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Danford
mesh_terms: D002309:Cardiology / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013502:General Surgery / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D015642:Radiology, Interventional / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: 2D; 3D; ASD; Atrial septal defect; CMR; CT; Cardiac magnetic resonance; Computed tomography; Congenital heart disease; ECMO; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; ICE; Intracardiac echocardiography; Magnetic resonance imaging; PFO; Patent foramen ovale; TEE; TTE; Three-dimensional; Transesophageal echocardiography; Transthoracic echocardiography; Two-dimensional; VSD; Ventricular septal defect