Clinical Guidelines and Useful information

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This information can be made available in alternative formats such as easy read or large print and may be available in different languages, upon request. If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email northwestchdnetwork@alderhey.nhs.uk and tell us what you need.

Included below are Clinical Guidelines, Pathways, Standard Operating Procedures and Referral Forms.
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Fetal / Neonatal

This document describes the referral pathway to be followed when an abnormality of the fetal heart is suspected at the routine 20 week anomaly scan and contains guidelines on perinatal management of a baby once a defect has been confirmed.

This Perinatal Management Plan can be downloaded and is to be used by the Fetal Cardiac Teams to clearly describe what the Perinatal Management plan is for each baby diagnosed with a CHD defect antenatally.

Describes the referral and transfer process of a baby diagnosed with congenital heart disease

The referral pathway for premature babies that have been assessed as having  a clinically significant PDA that needs surgical ligation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital

Clinical Guidelines for the assessment and medical treatment of PDA in premature babies. Document produced by the Neonatal Network but links closely to the referral pathway for surgical ligation

Babies & Children

Advice about how to diagnose and treat Kawasaki Syndrome

A document describing how the supra regional Paediatric Cardiac MDT functions at Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust.

Terms of Reference for the Paediatric Cardiac MDT.

Please see the latest Paediatric Cardiology Referral guidelines produced by the NW CHD Network. This document is aimed at GPs and Paediatricians to help guide them to the most appropriate referral pathway for a child/baby presenting with cardiac symptoms.

This document outlines the process of listing, undertaking, reporting and communicating the results of all paediatric diagnostic and interventional catheters for congenital heart patients performed at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Please see updated guidance regarding RSV infection and Palivizumab and who qualifies in the 2021 season.

Document that describes the process of what to do if a child or baby’s condition changes whilst they are waiting for surgery or intervention at Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust. It is to be used in conjunction with the Clinical Urgency Update Form.

Downloadable Referral Forms – Babies & Children

Please use this form to alert the team at Alder Hey that a baby/child who is on the waiting list for surgery or intervention needs to be reviewed sooner because their condition has changed. Please email this form to ahc-tr.cardiology@nhs.net

This form is to be used when urgent advice from our on-call teams is required. This form should also be used for patients requiring transfer to the L1 or L2 centre.

Level 1 centre Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
Send to ahc-tr.cardreg@nhs.net before bleeping on-call registrar on 369 via switch 0151 228 4811

Level 2 centre Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Send to mft.rmch@nhs.net before bleeping on-call registrar via switch 0161 276 1234

Open access is useful in children with cardiac defects where there is a possibility that their condition may change requiring a timely review at their local hospital.  This letter may be used at any level 3 paediatric cardiac centres within the North West CHD Network.  Please be aware that not all units may be able to facilitate ‘open access’ and urgent review may have to be sought via the GP or the emergency department instead.

Teenagers

This document describes in detail the pathway of care and support required during early, mid and late stage transition right through to referral to adult services and beyond.

Use this form to document support and advice given from the ages of 13-14 years.

Use this form to document support and advice given from the ages of 14-16 years.

Use this form to document support and advice given from the ages of 16-18 years. This form once completed also needs to be sent to ACHD Nurse Specialists as part of the referral process.

This form is to be completed by young people age 13-14 years prior to coming to see the Nurse Specialist in the YP clinic. This will help guide the conversation towards what is important for the young person.

This form is to be completed by young people aged 14-16 years prior to coming to see the Nurse Specialist in the YP clinic. This will help guide the conversation towards what is important for the young person.

This form is to be completed by young people aged 16-18 years prior to coming to see the Nurse Specialist in the YP clinic. This will help guide the conversation towards what is important for the young person.

This form is to be filled in by the ACHD Nurse Specialists to document how the young person is settling into adult services.

Adults

This document provides guidance on how to refer ACHD patients.  It is a useful guide for paediatric cardiologists and PECSIGs referring patients at transition, GPs and general cardiologists.  It also includes cardiac maternity and PHT referral pathways.

This document provides guidance on how to refer ACHD patients for expert assessment and treatment of electrophysiology and device procedures.

Please see the attached 2020 ESC Guidelines for the management of adult congenital heart disease.

Please see the attached 2018 ESC Guidelines for the management of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy.