Uniform Advantage partners with The Children's Heart Foundation to help save children’s lives from congenital heart disease
Plantation, FL (PRWEB) December 02, 2014 -- In joining forces with The Children's Heart Foundation (CHF), Uniform Advantage learnt that congenital heart defects is the number one birth defect in the world. Many babies born with this condition do not live past their first birthday and with the advancement of medical care and CHF’s research, more babies are living longer with a better quality of life.
What is a congenital heart defect?
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are problems with the heart’s structure that are present at birth. Common examples include holes in the inside walls of the heart and narrowed or leaky valves. In more severe forms of CHDs, blood vessels or heart chambers may be missing, poorly formed, and/or in the wrong place.
According to CHF, with every dollar the government spends on medical funding, only a fraction of a penny is directed toward congenital heart defect research. They play a critical and instrumental role and is the only organization that was created to exclusively fund congenital heart defect research and has funded over $6.3 million of important, life-saving research since its inception.
Featured project from CHF – how their research has impacted a child’s life like Gael’s.
The Children's Heart Foundation issued a $71,000 grant to Christopher Caldarone, M.D. at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada for his research study entitled: "Understanding Right Ventricular Physiology in Tetralogy of Fallot.” (2013). This featured research project aims to understand the abnormalities in heart muscle function found in children with TOF.
What the research means: Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a common congenital heart defect that involves a ventricular septal defect (hole in the heart), abnormal thickening of the muscle on right side of the heart, and abnormalities in the major blood vessels carrying blood away from the heart. Children typically undergo corrective surgery as an infant, but often require subsequent interventions to prevent against right heart failure.
In the immediate post-operative period, some children experience a complicated course that involves depressed heart function requiring a more complicated stay in the intensive care unit. Why some children experience this remains unknown. This research will look at how the heart muscle of children with TOF functions to better understand abnormalities found in children with TOF.
The research can ultimately impact the care of these children in the intensive care unit and improve strategies aimed at minimizing myocardial damage associated with surgery. This can potentially have an impact on the need for future interventions and subsequent long-term outcomes.
Meet Gael: Gael was born in 2011 with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). At 6 months old, Gael had open heart surgery. Today, Gael does not allow his condition to define him or limit what he can do. CHF is dedicated to help fund CHD research that is designed to find better and more effective ways to help children like Gael, and give them an opportunity to grow up and live a full and happy life. Dr. Caldarone's research is a step in the right direction to help children like Gael in the future.
Uniform Advantage donated $1 from the sale of each of its Healthy Heart Black prints and contributed over $2,000.00. Giselle Butler, SEO Analyst/Project Manager said "We were happy to get on board and support. With the exception of Breast Cancer, all of the other charitable organizations we donated to this Fall, involved helping children because they are our future and kids affected by this condition really need a lot of support and funding."
About The Children’s Heart Foundation
Established by Betsy Peterson in 1996, The Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF) is the country’s leading national organization solely committed to congenital heart research funding. Since 1996, CHF has funded 58 research projects with more than $6.3 million. CHF is a national 501(c)(3) tax‐exempt charitable organization that does not receive any government funding. The goal of the foundation is to bring health, hope and happiness to children and families impacted by congenital heart defects, the most common birth defect in the United States. This objective is accomplished by funding the most promising research to advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of congenital heart defects. For more information, please visit: http://www.childrensheartfoundation.org.
About Uniform Advantage
Uniform Advantage is a leading retailer of scrubs and medical uniforms. Founded in 1985, the company operates out of Plantation, Florida and ships from their distribution center near Atlanta, Georgia. It has grown to include 29 retail stores located in key cities across the U.S., a catalog division and an entity dedicated to the online market.
For more information and to view their garments, visit the Uniform Advantage web site at http://www.UniformAdvantage.com or call 800-283-8708.
Lori Dunlap, Uniform Advantage, http://www.UniformAdvantage.com, +1 9546262100 Ext: 2390, [email protected]
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