Heart disease in children

Narrowing the gap between the unmet needs of those affected by children's heart disease and HealthTech innovators.

Heart disease in children occurs when a problem with a child’s heart affects how it works. Conditions include those that children are born with (called congenital heart disease) and those that develop later in life (called acquired heart disease).

The different kinds of children’s heart disease are carefully managed by teams of clinical specialists. Health services care for children before and during birth, and then through childhood, adolescence and into adult life. HealthTech is critical to care at every stage, both inside and outside the hospital. It is used in diagnostic scanning and detection, disease monitoring, heart catheterisation and in surgery.

HealthTech innovation has revolutionised the care of children with heart disease. It has improved healthcare outcomes, patient wellbeing and quality of life, not just for children but for their families too. Despite this progress, unmet needs remain. By narrowing the gap between the unmet needs of those affected by children’s heart disease and HealthTech innovators, we will build on this progress and accelerate the development of new technologies.

Context

Challenges and opportunities

Like other paediatric conditions, children’s heart disease presents a number of challenges to HealthTech research. Our theme responds to these, identifying strategic opportunities to drive progress.

Strategy

Narrowing the gap

The functions of our multidisciplinary Paediatric HealthTech Panel aim to narrow the gap between the unmet needs of those affected by children’s heart disease and the HealthTech researchers and innovators capable of delivering solutions.

Leads

Dr Kuberan Pushparajah

Theme Lead
Dr Kuberan Pushparajah is a Co-Theme Lead of Heart Disease in Children. He is a consultant in paediatric cardiology at Evelina London Children’s Hospital and a clinical reader in paediatric cardiology in the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences at King’s College London. He is also the clinical lead for paediatric and congenital cardiac MRI at Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
With a strong focus on congenital heart disease, Dr. Pushparajah plays a pivotal role in delivering comprehensive care for children with complex cardiac conditions. His expertise spans across paediatric and congenital cardiology, advanced cardiac imaging, diagnostics, and post-surgical care. He is deeply involved in both clinical practice and research, actively contributing to advancements in non-invasive cardiac imaging techniques and the development of novel therapeutic approaches for children with heart disease.

As a leader in his field, he is committed to improving patient outcomes through innovation, collaboration, and a dedication to translational research, bridging the gap from bench to bedside. Dr. Pushparajah also works closely with multidisciplinary teams, including cardiac surgeons, intensivists, and researchers, to ensure comprehensive care for young patients and their families at Evelina London and Royal Brompton Hospitals.

Dr Nick Byrne

Co-Theme Lead
Dr Nick Byrne is a Co-Theme Lead of Heart Disease in Children. He is a Clinical Scientist working in the Clinical Engineering team at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
Post registration, Nick explored the use of patient-specific 3D printing to enhance the care of children with congenital heart disease (CHD). Following, he led the technical operation of our departmental 3D printing facility, supporting a heart modelling capability at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, and extending the use of this technology to other specialisms and as a tool for HealthTech development.

In 2018, Nick was awarded an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship, gaining his PhD in 2023 for his work at King’s College London (KCL). To provide every child with CHD with the care best for them, his research investigates the use of artificial intelligence to streamline the 3D modelling workflow, and to understand the design of associated services.

In his current role of research and innovation scientist, Nick works with colleagues from our Centre for Innovation, Transformation and Improvement (CITI), KCL, and from across our hospitals, coordinating departmental contributions to HealthTech innovation and supporting strategic development – including processes for addressing the unmet needs of patients.

Following the merger of Guy’s and St Thomas’ with Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, Nick co-leads the development of a clinical 3D heart modelling service, addressing the needs of children cared for across our organisation. Mirroring the ambition of the HRC, this seeks to use research to inform the identification, development and integration of cutting-edge HealthTech within the care of children with CHD.