HJBR Mar/Apr 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE  I  MAR / APR 2023 57 Sergio Bartakian, MD, is a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital NewOrleans.He obtained amedi- cal degree from the University of Miami,Miller School of Medicine, and a pediatric residency at the Case Western Reserve University, Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. He then complet- ed a pediatric cardiology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Colorado and went on to congenital inter- ventional cardiology training at the Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.He has been a practicing con- genital interventional cardiologist since 2013 and is a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist. Shannon Powell,DO, is a pediatric cardiologist at Chil- dren’s Hospital NewOrleans. She attendedmedical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and Loyola University Medical Center for a pediatric residency.She went on to complete a cardiology fel- lowship at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, followed by a cardiac non-invasive advanced imaging fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology. Sergio Bartakian, MD, FAAP, FACC, FSCAI Congenital Interventional Cardiologist Children’s Hospital New Orleans communication between the upper two chambers of her heart, and was taken to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for recovery and further care. Four days later, Emri was taken to the operating room for a complete surgical repair of her heart, had an excellent postoperative recovery, andwas discharged home with her family a fewdays later with a good prognosis. COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE THE BEST CARE POSSIBLE This level of specialized care for moms and infants with even the most complex and critical heart defects is not found any- where else in the region. Such a birth of a baby with critical and complex congeni- tal heart disease in a children’s hospital is unique and performed in only a handful of the most specialized children’s hospitals in the country. This was a first for Children’s Hospital New Orleans and, indeed, the Gulf South and was made possible only by the collaboration of many key players — the hospital’s fetal cardiologists, neona- tologists, and cardiac interventionalists working together to identify the best care plan, the teams, equipment, and support services necessary. Such an effort is a testi- mony to the expertise and spirit of collab- oration of the physicians and staff at Chil- dren’s Hospital New Orleans and across LCMC Health. Most importantly, it is a ma- jor milestone in our efforts to continue to improve the healthcare of the babies and children of Louisiana and the Gulf South. n Photo: Baby Emri Photo: Emri Family