Leonardo Velazquez Miller is an active, healthy 6-year-old who loves to swim and play soccer in his hometown of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Looking at him now you wouldn’t suspect he was born with Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries or d-TGA, a congenital heart defect (CHD) where the 2 main arteries carrying blood out of […]
Hear Dakota’s heart-warming story about a well visit that saved his life
While our son, Dakota, was born at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic — in the winter of 2021 — we were ecstatic he was healthy with no cause for concern. Weighing 9 pounds and measuring 22 inches long, he was every bit the pure joy our family had waited 42 weeks for. In his […]
Welcome cardiologist, Dr. Ari Gartenberg, who will support patients in Eastern Cuyahoga County and Akron
A native of Teaneck, New Jersey, a suburb ten minutes from New York City, Dr. Ari Gartenberg joins Akron Children’s as the newest provider in the Heart Center. He will be practicing both interventional and general cardiology. “During my first interview, the warmth and collegiality was palpable as I met people from Akron Children’s Heart […]
Cardiac procedure targets frequent fainting, gives mom her life back
When Hannah Grable got COVID, everything changed. A busy mother of two, Hannah dealt with various health conditions throughout her life, including one that caused her to faint from time to time. After she had her second child, she was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). POTS is a blood circulation disorder that causes […]
After heart ablation procedure done without radiation exposure, Tallmadge man hopes to eventually remove his pacemaker
Certain things stick out clearly in Kenny Roberts’ mind, especially the day he passed out while playing basketball 27 years ago. He remembers being rushed by ambulance to Akron Children’s emergency room. Later, it was the look on his parents’ faces when they learned Kenny had an abnormal heartbeat that required a pacemaker to ensure […]
Akron Children’s orthopedic surgeons reduce opioid prescriptions by 54 percent
As the opioid crisis grew into a national epidemic, the nine pediatric orthopedic surgeons at Akron Children’s began analyzing their own pain prescribing practices and how they compared with peers. This led to a standardized protocol that has reduced the amount of narcotics being prescribed by 54 percent. “The opioid epidemic, a multifactorial issue with […]
