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In this episode of "The Incubator" at NeoHeart 2024, hosts Ben and Daphna interview Dr. Aditya Kaza, a pediatric cardiac surgeon from Boston Children's Hospital who directs the neonatal cardiac surgery program.

Dr. Kaza discusses key takeaways from the conference session on prematurity and congenital heart disease. He highlights the need for better risk assessment tools for premature infants with cardiac issues, mentioning ongoing efforts to develop more comprehensive databases that include maternal-fetal and perinatal risk factors.

The conversation touches on the evolving approach to surgical timing in premature infants with cardiac lesions, emphasizing the trend towards less invasive initial interventions when possible. Dr. Kaza stresses the importance of tailoring treatment to each patient's individual risk factors.

He also shares insights from his lecture on surgical options when PDA stenting is not feasible, discussing various shunt materials including cryopreserved veins. Dr. Kaza explains the benefits of using biological materials in certain cases, particularly for patients with coagulation defects.

The episode underscores the value of conferences like NeoHeart in fostering collaboration across specialties and driving innovation in neonatal cardiac care. Dr. Kaza emphasizes the potential for such meetings to spark new ideas and improve outcomes for neonates with congenital heart disease.

As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.

Enjoy!