Severance Hospital, Pediatric Heart Failure Patient Group 'Iron Child' Holds First Event

Sharing Health Information and Support for Pediatric Patients and Parents Undergoing Ventricular Assist Device Therapy

Severance Hospital announced on the 24th that it held the first event of the pediatric heart failure patient group 'Iron Child.'

Children with pediatric heart failure, their families, and medical staff are gathered in the auditorium on the 3rd floor of Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, taking a commemorative photo.
[Photo by Yonsei Medical Center]

This event was held to share health information with children and families who are receiving or have received ventricular assist device (VAD) treatment due to heart failure caused by cardiomyopathy, which damages the heart muscle, and congenital heart disease. The patient group name, Iron Child, was created by the staff of the Cardiovascular Hospital with the hope that the children would live with healthier and stronger hearts.

The event was attended by children with heart disease and their families, including those who underwent pediatric ventricular assist device treatment and heart transplantation, and those who had a ventricular assist device inserted after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment, as well as medical staff involved in the treatment process. In particular, Yuk Sujin-yang (4), who had the longest duration of VAD support in Korea for 16 months before safely undergoing heart transplantation surgery and being discharged last year, participated and expressed joy.

The attendees began the event by watching a video depicting the children’s hospital life, encouraging and supporting each other. Then, Professor Kim Ah-young from Pediatric Cardiology, Professor Hong Joon-taek from Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, and Professor Shin Yu-rim from Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery gave health lectures on managing pediatric heart failure, pediatric heart transplantation, school physical activities, and recurrence of heart failure after transplantation.

Pharmacist Ryu Ha-bin explained effective medication methods for children with heart disease, nutritionist Jung Sook-yong introduced healthy diets that help restore heart health in children, and nursing professor Choi Eun-kyung shared stories about school education and mental health of children before and after surgery. Along with the health lectures, the palliative care team conducted play programs for the children to enjoy, providing joy to the children and an environment for the families to focus on the lectures.

Professor Shin Yu-rim said, "I am only filled with gratitude seeing a child who came to the hospital with heart disease at just 6 weeks old now growing up healthy and attending the event," adding, "I hope the Iron Child group continues in the future and becomes a great support for children with heart failure and their families."