Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 4, 2017

Children’s health By Stacie Jones Northern Idaho children and teens with congenital heart disease are now receiving the specialized cardiology care they need, a little closer to home. Pediatric cardiologists from the Providence Center for Congenital Heart Disease—a Kootenai Health partner—are seeing pediatric heart patients at the Kootenai Heart Clinics Northwest location in Post Falls. The providers include Pamela Burg, M.D.; Carl Garabedian, M.D.; Richard A. Jensen Jr., M.D.; Jeremy Nicolarsen, M.D.; Jennifer Plymale, M.D.; and Sarah Stack, M.D. Congenital heart disease is a heart malformation present at birth that affects 1 in 120 babies, making it the most common birth defect, Dr. Burg said. The pediatric cardiologists providing care at the Post Falls clinic are board-certified (or board-eligible) in the care of children with congenital heart disease. Their areas of exper- tise include echocardiography, fetal Pamela Burg, M.D. in Post Falls echocardiography, electrophysiology/ arrhythmia care, pulmonary hy- pertension and interventional catheterization—as well as adult congenital heart disease care. At the Post Falls clinic, the cardiologists can provide ECG and congenital heart echocardiography procedures. A lifetimeof care— close tohome While their focus is on pediatrics, the cardiologists see patients of all ages to ensure a seamless transition of care as children who were born with a heart defect become adults. Previously, heart patients in northern Carl Garabedian, M.D. o n w PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGISTS 18