A routine physical at school turned into an important diagnosis for then 15-year-old Logan Brown.

“She was flagged for having an irregular heartbeat and we had to follow up with her primary care doctor. After that visit, we were referred to CHoR,” said her mom, Amber.

What was behind Logan’s arrhythmia?

At CHoR, Logan saw Dr. John Phillips, a pediatric cardiologist and electrophysiologist who specializes in heart arrhythmia diagnosis and treatment in kids. Dr. Phillips performed an electrocardiogram – a test to evaluate the electrical pattern of a person’s heart – and determined Logan had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

“When the heart’s electrical signals follow a typical pathway, the heart beats with a predictable, regular pattern. In the case of WPW syndrome, there’s an extra electrical pathway. With the extra pathway, the heart can conduct electricity in a sustained loop causing a very rapid arrhythmia called supraventricular tachycardia that sometimes exceeds 200 beats per minute,” said Dr. Phillips.

Electrophysiology to find and fix Logan’s heart problem

Logan was in the right hands with Dr. Phillips. He performed a specialized heart catheterization called an electrophysiology study that allowed him to identify the location of her extra electrical pathway and eliminate it, curing her of supraventricular tachycardia and dangerous ventricular arrhythmias.

“If she hadn’t had the procedure, she may have had continued episodes of tachycardia,” added Dr. Phillips. “Perhaps more importantly, eliminating the extra electrical wire removed the small risk of her suffering sudden cardiac arrest.”

As for Logan’s prognosis, Dr. Phillips says it’s excellent and she’s completely cured.

“I could not ask for a better doctor than Dr. Phillips. He was kind and understanding and answered all our questions. He took his time to explain things in a manner that all of us could understand,” said Amber. “The nurses who assisted during the procedure were wonderful and kept Logan calm.”

Logan is on to her next challenge – college!

April will mark one year from Logan’s procedure, at which point she won’t need further follow-up appointments with Dr. Phillips – which is great news, except that he’ll miss seeing her.

“Logan is an outgoing, intelligent and personable young lady. I wouldn’t be surprised if she became the president of the United States someday,” he said.

Now that her heart is fixed, the artist and karate purple belt’s next challenge is deciding where she’s going to study computer science after she graduates from high school this spring. She’s already been accepted to several universities and now has to narrow down her choices.

“Logan is truly a wonderful daughter. She is kind and compassionate and strives to spread love in all her environments,” added Amber. “I’m excited to see what the next chapter of life brings for her. She’s a young person that is on the move!”

Discover how our team cares for kids’ hearts of all ages at CHoR.