Overview

Despite improvements in survival, children with congenital heart disease (CHD) remain at risk for a range of neurological, cognitive, and psychosocial challenges that can impact their overall development and affect their quality of life. There are many factors that may influence the neurodevelopmental trajectory of a patient, with the role of intrinsic factors like genetics now known to be of great significance. Though intrinsic patient-specific factors often cannot be altered, there are many psychosocial and perioperative factors that can be manipulated and modified. My research focuses on improving neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with CHD through interventions that begin in the prenatal stage, continue throughout the newborn period, and into childhood and adolescence.

Publications

Left ventricular dysfunction in the immediate post-natal period
Translational Pediatrics
Vijayashankar, S.S. and Sanatani, G. and Franciosi, S. and Moodley, S. and Ting, J.Y.
DOI: 10.21037/tp-22-301
2023

Replicating Anatomical Teaching Specimens Using 3D Modeling Embedded Within a Multimodal e-Learning Course: Pre-Post Study Exploring the Impact on Medical Education During COVID-19
JMIR Medical Education
Chelsea Stunden and Sima Zakani and Avery Martin and Shreya Moodley and John Jacob
DOI: 10.2196/30533
11/2021

Replicating Anatomical Teaching Specimens Using 3D Modeling Embedded Within a Multimodal e-Learning Course: Pre-Post Study Exploring the Impact on Medical Education During COVID-19 (Preprint)
Chelsea Stunden and Sima Zakani and Avery Martin and Shreya Moodley and John Jacob
DOI: 10.2196/preprints.30533
05/2021

First antenatally confirmed case of arterial tortuosity syndrome
Cardiology in the Young
Saravu Vijayashankar, S. and Culham, J.A.G. and Moodley, S.
DOI: 10.1017/S1047951120002644
2020

Maternal arterial stiffness and fetal cardiovascular physiology in diabetic pregnancy
Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology
S. Moodley and A. Arunamata and K. J. Stauffer and S. E. Nourse and A. Chen and A. Quirin and E. S. Selamet Tierney
DOI: 10.1002/uog.17528
11/2018

Severe Malaria in African Children: Unraveling Issues of the Heart*
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Moodley, S. and Kissoon, N.
DOI: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000001437
2018

Echocardiography-Derived Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Gradient and Left Ventricular Posterior Wall Thickening Are Associated with Outcomes for Anatomic Repair in Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Shreya Moodley and Sowmya Balasubramanian and Theresa A. Tacy and Frandics Chan and Frank L. Hanley and Rajesh Punn
DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2017.03.019
08/2017

Levoatriocardinal vein in D-transposition of the great arteries
Cardiology in the Young
Moodley, S. and Duncan, W. and Gandhi, S.
DOI: 10.1017/S1047951116000652
2016

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome: Diagnosis, care and management from fetal life and beyond
NeoReviews
Moodley, S. and Tacy, T.A.
DOI: 10.1542/neo.16-2-e109
2015

Subtotal obstruction of a tube fenestrated fontan conduit
Heart
Moodley, S. and K Gandhi, S. and Harris, K.C.
DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2013-304377
2014

Postnatal outcome in patients with fetal tachycardia
Pediatric Cardiology
Moodley, S. and Sanatani, S. and Potts, J.E. and Sandor, G.G.S.
DOI: 10.1007/s00246-012-0392-7
2013

Research

Golden Hour in Congenital Heart Disease
Golden hour involves delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin contact between mother and newborn, early initiation of breastfeeding, and mother-newborn togetherness, all within 1 hour of birth. Newborns with CHD may be deprived of this practice due to challenges related to patient acuity and a general lack of awareness regarding these practices and their benefits. We are conducting a quality improvement project to increase the implementation of Golden Hour in newborns with CHD by promoting innovation in service delivery, educating staff on golden hour importance and safety, and empowering caregivers through education during the peripartum period.

Developmental Care for Patients and Families with Congenital Heart Disease
Children with congenital heart disease are at risk for poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. Family-centered developmental care practices may promote healthy brain development in neonates with CHD. Developmental care practices include kangaroo care, breastfeeding, oral immune therapy, oral stimulation, mitigating noxious environmental stimuli, and facilitating pain management. Through our quality improvement project, we hope to increase the frequency of developmental care implementation in our intensive care unit and inpatient wards, as well as empower caregivers to implement these practices during and after hospital discharge.

Comprehensive Cardiology Follow-up Program
We are working to create a Comprehensive Cardiac Follow-up Program (CCFP) for children with CHD to facilitate developmental surveillance, screening, evaluation, and re-evaluation throughout childhood. The goal of this program is to enhance academic, behavioral, psychosocial, and adaptive functioning. For children with low-risk CHD, we will facilitate developmental surveillance in the community by building stronger partnerships with community general practitioners and pediatricians in order to assist care standardization and education. Children identified as high-risk will be invited to the CCFP clinic for sequential developmental and medical evaluation, and will receive early intervention in the community. This program will recognize the long-term needs of our patients into childhood and adolescence, addressing the unique social, mental, and academic challenges that occur at these different points of development. The information collected prospectively through the clinic will allow us to look at outcomes and risk factors in this patient population.

Research Group Members

Lisa Guo, Co-op Student
Abrar Hossain, Pediatric Cardiology Fellow
Lana Tarik, Research Assistant Co-Op Student