Cardiac High Acuity Monitoring Program (CHAMP)

The CHAMP® (Cardiac High Acuity Monitoring Program) makes it possible for children with single ventricle heart defects to be monitored from the comfort of their own home by our Cardiology team through a digital application. This monitoring program is most commonly done once your child is discharged from the hospital following their initial cardiac surgery.

The application was developed and implemented by the Ward Family Heart Center team at Children's Mercy Kansas City in 2014, this technology is now utilized by 10 other hospital organizations. We were fortunate enough to be able to join this collaborative in June 2018, since that time Cook Children's heart team has monitored over 60 babies through this application with great success.

Once enrolled in the CHAMP application you will enter daily information about your child such as oxygen saturations, heart rates, food intake and daily weights. This information is directly accessible to your child's cardiology team at all times. Baseline data is set specifically for your child. If the numbers you enter go above or below those baselines, your child's cardiology team is immediately notified, and will determine if your child needs to be brought in for a visit.

Who is a candidate?

Commonly monitored heart defects include:

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Pulmonary artery band surgery (PA band)
Pulmonary atresia
Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome
Severe Pulmonary Stenosis
Double Outlet Right Ventricle
*Or any other heart condition that requires a cardiac shunt or pulmonary artery band to be placed as the child's primary source of pulmonary blood flow.

What are the benefits?

Having a digital platform allows parents to share valuable information about their child with the cardiology team in real time. With the use of this real time data it provides our team the ability to identify subtle changes with the patients and intervene earlier to prevent more serious complications that these patients may have without intervention.

Additional benefits include:

24/7 monitoring and feedback of your child's vital signs
Real time notifications and alerts are sent to your care team if abnormal vitals are entered in to the application.
Videos – families have the ability to send a video of their baby if they have any concerns. This allows us to triage their child without them coming in to the hospital.
Multi-team member collaboration- with the CHAMP application, all of our Cook Children's cardiologists have access to this home monitoring data as well as our dieticians and clinic nurses. This means that any member of the Cardiology team that the patient family encounters along their journey has the ability to see the patient's data without parents having to remember this information.
Reduced costs – CHAMP has allowed families and their team of medical professionals to monitor their baby at home, rather than being readmitted to the hospital for examination or treatments, which can yield excessive costs.

How does CHAMP work?

CHAMP is available in the App Store as a free download.

Cook Childrens Heart Center team will provide you with log in information for the downloadable application or has the ability to provide you with a portable device if you do not have a smart cellular phone.

The data you enter will include:

Intake – how much your baby eats each day
Outputs
Vital signs – oxygen levels and heart rates are collected
Daily weight
Video – we ask for a weekly video to be sent for review. We may also ask you to send additional videos if there is a specific concern.

If data is entered that is out of our expected range, this is considered a "Red Flag". A Red Flag text message will be automatically generated and sent to our home monitoring team. When this message is received a member of the team will contact parents to discuss the abnormal value.

You'll find helpful information in the CHAMP app home caregiver instruction guide. And, of course, you can always contact us with questions or if you need assistance.

View guide Call 682-885-2140

*It is important for families to call the heart center at 682-885-2140 if they are concerned about their child or notice an abnormal vital sign value even when enrolled in the CHAMP program.

While you are in the hospital

Before your baby is discharged home from the hospital after his/her initial surgery, our team will educate you on everything you need to know in order to take your baby home safely. You will follow a "Journey Board" with distinct goals to meet prior to discharge.

Some of these include:

Understanding your babies heart defect
Knowing how to use your home equipment including: pulse ox, infant weigh scale, feeding supplies, and CHAMP application
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: CPR

As a final step just prior to discharge both parents will be given the opportunity to "room-in" with their child for 24-48 hours. During this time parents are responsible for all cares, medications, vital sign checks and feedings. This provides the parents the opportunity to care for their child independently but also have staff available to aide and answer questions as they arise before transitioning home.

Note- If you and your child live more than 60 miles away from our Medical Center, it may be advised that you stay nearby after you are discharged from the hospital.

Once you are discharged

Once you are discharged home and active on the CHAMP application and home monitoring system you will be asked to enter data each day. This includes:

Vital signs 2 times per day: this includes oxygen saturation and heart rate
Total volumes of feeds taken in a 24 hour period
Number of diapers and or vomits
Weight, 1 time per day
Video, this is taken one time per week or more frequently if there is parental concern or Red Flag

When to contact for red flags

Please contact our team at 682-885-2140 if you observe the following symptoms:

Any behavior or bodily change that worries you
Temperature over 101 degrees F
Does not gain an average of 20 grams/day over 7 days
Increased work of breathing or stopping to breath during feeding
Feeding difficulty, increased sweating during feeds, or excessive spitting
Vomiting or diarrhea (more than three episodes in 24 hours)
Irritability, won't calm or decreased response to you
Low oxygen saturations (less than 72%)
Fewer than four wet diapers per day
Three days of weight loss
Arrhythmia
Bloody stools

Harper's Heart Center story

Thanks to the CHAMP program, babies born with single ventricle heart defects are able to go home and be with their families while awaiting their second surgery. Watch as Hannah's parents share how it helped their family.