Apps & Social Media

New Smartphone Application for Pediatric Anesthesia: Heartpedia

By Heena Pranav, MD and Anna Clebone, MD
University of Chicago

You are taking care of a seven year-old patient who has a history of Ebstein’s Anomaly status post repair as an infant. Now there is an innovative application for your mobile device which provides you with an easy way to view congenital heart abnormalities in 3D imaging.

The Heartpedia app, created by The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Heart Institute Team, uses an easy-to-use interactive interface to provide you with a list of congenital heart abnormalities. The app demonstrates each abnormality with  3D imaging of a normal heart, the defected heart, and the repaired heart. Simply select the heart defect you would like to view, then rotate, pan and zoom the image, reminding you of the anatomical structure of your patient’s heart.

Additionally, you are able to slice the heart in various ways to see the internal structure. Not only does the Heartpedia app allow you to fully review the anatomy of a congenital heart defect both before and after repair, it also provides you with more information regarding the actual defect. An icon below each defect provides you with a detailed description of the defect including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and management during childhood and adulthood. A second icon will allow you to watch a video animation and description of the congenital heart defect in detail. TheHeartpedia appis an effective tool to help you review a congenital heart abnormality on the go.  The Heartpedia app is free to download on the iPhone and Android.