CONTENTS
About Us
Management Bios
Prior Coverage
Publications
Featured On
Videos
Digital Artwork
Contact Information
ABOUT US
The Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC⁴) aims to improve the quality of care to patients with critical pediatric and congenital cardiovascular disease in North America and abroad. Formed in 2009 with National Institutes of Health funding, PC⁴ is a unique collaborative of leaders in pediatric cardiac critical care, cardiac surgery, and cardiology representing a diverse group of over 60 children’s hospitals across the globe caring for these vulnerable patients. The core pillars of collaborative quality improvement serve as the foundation for PC⁴. Using these pillars, we have been able to improve a variety of outcomes in these children, including the prevention of complications, such as cardiac arrest, and saving hundreds of children’s lives in our member centers.
ABOUT OUR TEAM

PRIOR COVERAGE
Speeding Up Recovery for Children Undergoing Heart Surgery, Nov 18, 2019; Michigan Health News:
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/rounds/speeding-up-recovery-for-children-undergoing-heart-surgery
Reducing Cardiac Arrests Among Pediatric Heart Patients, Nov 18, 2019; Michigan Health News:
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/rounds/reducing-cardiac-arrests-among-pediatric-heart-patients
Critical Pediatric Heart Deaths Drop by 24% at Hospitals With Cardiac ICUs, Nov 25, 2019; Michigan Health News:
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/rounds/critical-pediatric-heart-deaths-drop-by-24-at-hospitals-cardiac-icus
Breaking Down Barriers in the Fight Against Congenital Heart Disease, Sep 13, 2019;
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/rounds/breaking-down-barriers-fight-against-congenital-heart-disease
Improving ECMO Strategies, Outcomes for Children with Critical Cardiac Disease, Mar 19, 2017;
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/body-work/improving-ecmo-strategies-outcomes-for-children-critical-cardiac-disease
PUBLICATIONS
A handful of our most recent groundbreaking publications include:
Gaies M, Pasquali SK, Banerjee M, et al. Improvement in Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Outcomes Through Interhospital Collaboration. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 Dec 3;74(22):2786-2795. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.09.046. PMID: 31779793; PMCID: PMC6981276. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31779793/
DeWitt AG, Rossano JW, Bailly, DK, et al. Predicting and Surviving Prolonged Critical Illness After Congenital Heart Surgery, Critical Care Medicine: July 2020 – Volume 48 – Issue 7 – p e557-e564 doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000004354. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32574468/
Hart SA, Tanel RE, Kipps AK, et al. Intensive Care Unit and Acute Care Unit Length of Stay After Congenital Heart Surgery. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Oct;110(4):1396-1403. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.01.033. Epub 2020 Feb 28. PMID: 32114048. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32114048/
Lasa JJ, Gaies M, Bush L, et al. Epidemiology and Outcomes of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure in Children. Circ Heart Fail. 2020 Apr;13(4):e006101. doi: 10.1161/ CIRCHEARTFAILURE.119.006101. Epub 2020 Apr 17. PMID: 32301336; PMCID: PMC7169981. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32301336/
A full list of our publications can be found here: https://pc4quality.org/news-publications/
FEATURED ON
The PC⁴ Story – Past, Present, Future
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/episode-18-the-pc4-story-past-present-future/id1253068670?i=1000464916718
Interhospital Collaboration Improves Congenital Heart Surgical Outcomes
https://www.stitcher.com/show/pediheartpediatric-cardiology-today/episode/pediheart-podcast-96-interhospital-collaboration-improves-congenital-heart-surgical-outcomes-65825062
Our work has also been presented at nearly every national conference related to cardiology,
cardiac surgery, and critical care medicine over the last 6 years.
VIDEOS
PC⁴: Saving Lives in Cardiac Critical Care
https://youtu.be/YEkNI4OqGfI
Congenital Heart Disease Treatment: Breaking Down Barriers to Improve Care
https://youtu.be/jkAeYACBQj0
DIGITAL ARTWORK/LOGOS
2023 Toronto Conference Posters
Primary Author/Presenter | Title | Center | Download |
Maria Balbin and Mekdela Tirfe | Improving Data Entry for PC4 and PAC3 in CardioAccess by Utilizing a Custom Standardized Data Flowsheet in Cerner | Children’s National Medical Center | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Mekdela+Tirfe+ImprovingDataEntry_TorontoFINAL.pdf |
Jeanette Belan and Fatemat Hassan | Engaging Providers in Discharge Caregiver Education to Decrease Medication Errors – A Quality Improvement Projects in the Children’s Heart Institute | Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, The University of Texas Helth Sciences Center at Houston | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Jeanette+Belan+Poster-medication+teaching.zip |
Tara Cosgrove and Julie Aldrich | PROMISE: PRO-active Mitigiation to decrease Serious Adverse Events | Nationwide Childen’s Hospital | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Tara+Cosgrove+Poster.pptx |
Kimberly DiMaria and Jamie Penk | Implementation of a Multiphase, Multi-institutional QI Initiative to Decrease Opioid and Benzodiazepine Exposure in CICU Patients | Children’s Hospital Colorado, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Jamie+Penk+PC4RPPPoster(1).pptx |
https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Kimberly+DiMaria+1.pdf | |||
https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Kimberly+DiMaria+2.pdf | |||
Chelsea Hughes, Hilary Patteson, Kimberly DiMaria and Carly Scahill | 1st Five Minute Drills: Using Simulation to Improve Resuscitation Team Performance in a Pediatric Cardiac Acute Care Unit | Children’s Hospital Colorado | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Chelsea+Hughes+Medical+Interpreter+Use+CPCU+PAC3.PC4.pptx |
Carly Scahill | Internal Automated PC4 Data Abstraction | Children’s Hospital Colorado | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2023_PAC3.PC4_AbstractionTool.pdf |
Catherine Dimes | Sustaining Improvements in CLABSI Reduction in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit | Nationwide Childen’s Hospital | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Catt+Dimes.CLABSI+Poster+2022+final+(withKKD)-+updated+4-2023.pptx |
Cassidy Golden | A Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce Surgical Site Infections In Pediatric Patients After Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cassidy Golden | Emory University – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Cassidy+Golden.pdf |
Elysia Harshman | Implementation of a Discharge Nurse Role in the Acute Care Cardiology Unit | Children’s Health | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Elysia+Harshman+Poster.pptx |
Margot Hillyer | Antimicrobial Stewardship and Improved Antibiotic Utilization in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit | Emory University – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Margot+Hillyer+Poster+1.pptx |
Margot Hillyer | Standardize the Diagnosis and Treatment of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease | Emory University – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Margot+Hillyer+Poster+2.pptx |
Chelsea Hughes | Improving Medical Interpreter Usage during Medical Rounds for Limited English Proficiency Families in a Pediatric Cardiac Acute Care Unit | Children’s Hospital Colorado | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Chelsea+Hughes.pptx |
Julie Kuzin | NG Free: Delayed Feeding Tube Removal May Prolong Hospitalization | Texas Children’s Hospital | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Julia+Kuzin+PAC3+Poster.pptx |
Sarah Lagergren | Implementation of a Fast-Track Post Operative Clinical Pathway for Straightforward Cardiovascular Surgery Patient Population | Children’s Mercy Hospital | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Darcie+Al-Hassan+Fast+Track+PC4+Poster.pdf |
Nina Nacpil | Implementation of central venous catheter tubing setup to decrease the risk of femoral inserted central line-associated bloodstream infections in a pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit | Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Nina+Nacpil.+PC4+CVC+Tubing+Setup+Poster+4.20.pdf |
Joyce Northrup, Anne Thomas and Rich Lion | Decreasing Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections in a Developing Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit | Dell Children’s Hospital | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Joyce+Northrup.pptx |
Mary Pacheco | Implementation of a Staff Engagement Committee on a Pediatric Acute Care Cardiology Unit Addressing Nursing Burnout | Children’s Health | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Mary+Pacheco+Poster.pptx |
Trisha Patel and Anna-Claire Marrone | Creation and Implementation of an Institutional Postoperative Norwood Course Correction Process | Emory University – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Trisha+Patel+Poster.pptx |
Loren D. Sacks | Mortality Events in Patients with Heart Disease: A Novel Process for Rapid Review, Classification, and Identification and Implementation of Countermeasures | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Loren+Sacks.+FARRM+PCICS+2023.pdf |
Brittany Shutes | Identifying and Screening for Pediatric Delirium in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit: Provider Education Intervention | Nationwide Children’s Hospital | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Brittany+Shutes+Poster.pptx |
Stephanie Squires and Alaina Kipps | A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Discharge Medication Education on a Pediatric Cardiology Unit | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Alaina+Kipps.+Stephanie+Squires+-+MAP+Poster+Updated+2023+v3+4.10.23+-+edited+copy.pptx. https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Stephanie+Squires+Alaina+K.+Kipps+Poster.pptx |
Kaitlin Tindel | Improving Medication Safety for Pediatric Patients: Utilization of a Simplified Digoxin Order Panel | Children’s Health | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Kaitlin+Tindel.PAC3+Poster+Presentation+2023_Digoxin+Order+Panel_Final+Exhalt+Version.pptx |
Alaa Aljiffry | Risk Factors for Adverse Events Among the Norwood Patients: A Single Center Retrospective Study | Emory University – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Alaa+Aljiffry+CHOA+Poster+Proof+3.pdf |
Suzanne Hilt | Early Enteral Feeding in Infants with Prolonged Ventilation after Congenital Heart Surgery | Golisano Children’s Hospital, University of Rochester | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Hilt%2C+Suzanne+Poster.pdf |
Megan Rodts | Characterizing Acute Care Cardiology Central Venous Catheter Use and Complications | Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Megan+Rodts+Poster+1.pptx |
Megan Rodts | OpenNotes in Pediatric Acute Care Cardiology: Collective Experiences of Caregivers and Providers in a Single Center | Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Megan+Rodts+Poster+2.pptx |
Wendy Torres and Jamie Penk | Periods of Low Renal Perfusion Pressure are Associated with Acute Kidney Injury following Pediatric Cardiac Surgery | Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago | https://pc4-posters.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/PC4RPPPoster(1).pptx |
Additional Images, Videos Available on Website or By Request
CONTACT
Website: pc4quality.org
Twitter: @pc4quality Facebook: facebook.com/pc4quality
Executive Director: Dr. Sarah Tabbutt
Project Manager: Kim Gonzalez
PR/Social Media: Dr. David Werho