Cardiac Antithrombosis Management Program (CAMP) and the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic

We provide relief and expert care for kids and families living with the pain and medical complications thrombosis causes. Thrombosis is a problem caused by blood clots that block the veins or arteries that carry blood throughout the body. These blood clots can cause swelling and pain, and damage parts of the body, organs and blood vessels. Our clinic and program takes a comprehensive approach to treating and managing thrombosis from every angle and through collaboration with specialists from across our hospital.

About our Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic and Cardiac Antithrombosis Management Program

Children with heart disease are at risk for blood clotting problems due to differences in their blood flow. Surgery, procedures and IV lines can also increase the risk of blood clots and bleeding. All these risk factors make each child’s circumstance unique, which is why our Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic and Cardiac Antithrombosis Management Program (CAMP) tailors care to each family.

When you or your child receives care in the Heart Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado, we use protocols and guidelines to help prevent unwanted blood clots from forming in the bloodstream after surgery and other procedures. But if you or your child has these problems, CAMP is here to provide expert consultation and deliver care for each unique situation.

The Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic

Children we treat for blood clotting problems almost always need to continue medicines to treat those blood clots after they return home. Your or your child’s cardiologist can usually manage these medicines but sometimes management is complicated. That’s where the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic comes in.

Our multidisciplinary clinic collaborates with the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, which is located next door to Children’s Colorado on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.  You or your child will receive comprehensive care from specialists who have expertise in both heart and blood problems. In addition, our Clinic provides specific expertise and resources for all children who have blood clotting problems.

Who we treat in the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic

We treat children and adults who will remain on medication after they leave the hospital to treat blood clotting problems. The Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic helps adjust medication doses, consider alternative treatments and decide on the duration of treatment for blood clotting problems. Many of these visits can happen via telehealth. With the use of telehealth technology, the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic serves kids and adults in Colorado, as well as Wyoming, Montana and New Mexico.

We treat patients who:

• Have single ventricle heart disease and are at risk for blood clots
• Require blood thinning medications for mechanical heart valves
• Are having a surgery or procedure that requires prevention or treatment of blood clots
• Have experienced a blood clotting problem due to surgeries or procedures
• Have any other blood clotting problem in the heart or associated with a heart problem

Consultation with our Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic doesn’t replace the care provided by your or your child’s primary cardiologist. We work closely and collaborate with your or your child’s primary cardiologist to provide the best care for blood clotting problems related to heart disease. Your or your child’s primarily cardiologist will remain as the main contact for your heart disease, but the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic will provide additional expertise.

The Cardiac Antithrombosis Management Program (CAMP)

Unfortunately, few medicines treat blood clots in the bloodstream.  Some medicines have been used for decades in both children and adults but may require injections or frequent blood tests. We are skilled and knowledgeable in using newer medications to treat blood clots that can be more convenient and comfortable, while still being effective.

CAMP has expertise in selecting the right medicine, managing the doses and knowing the best time to stop using medication — and we focus on the unique needs of children. The CAMP team consists of doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists who work with your or your child’s other doctors and care team while in the hospital.

Who we treat in CAMP

We treat children and adults who have heart disease and whose care is complicated by blood clotting problems or who are at risk for blood clots due to their heart disease. The CAMP team provides consultation both before and after surgery. 

We treat kids and adults who:

• Have single ventricle heart disease and are at risk for blood clots
• Require blood thinning medications for mechanical heart valves
• Are having a surgery or procedure that requires prevention or treatment of blood clots
• Have experienced a blood clotting problem due to surgeries or procedures
• Require a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for heart failure

Why choose us for your child’s blood clotting problems

Both the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic and CAMP are made up of team members from multiple disciplines and areas of expertise. John S. Kim, MD, is a cardiologist and intensive care unit (ICU) physician who is regarded as an international expert on issues related to blood clotting problems in children with heart disease. Dr. Kim developed CAMP and the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic to meet the specific needs of children in Children’s Colorado’s Heart Institute.

The CAMP team includes nurse practitioners who work primarily in the cardiac ICU and the cardiac stepdown unit, known as the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit. These advanced practice providers are dedicated to kids in CAMP in both inpatient care areas in the Heart Institute. In addition, the team includes three board-certified pharmacists with expertise and experience in blood clotting medications and helping kids transition out of the hospital. CAMP is the only program of its kind in the region and one of only a few across the country.

The Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic is a one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary clinic where Dr. Kim works in close collaboration with Beth Warren, MD, a pediatric hematologist (blood specialist) with a specific interest in caring for children with blood clotting problems related to their heart disease. Our doctors understand the complex connection between the blood and heart problems their patients face. They developed and founded the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic to combine their expertise and address heart and blood problems and their complex interplay. Our Clinic team works closely with board-certified pharmacists who have expertise in helping children manage their blood clotting medications. In addition, our Clinic takes advantage of the resources in the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, where their sole mission is to provide expert care to all children with blood clotting and bleeding problems.

Contact the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic and CAMP

For more information about the Cardiac Thrombosis Clinic, contact us at the Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center Clinic by calling 303-724-0724.

For more information about the Cardiac Antithrombosis Management Program (CAMP), contact us via the Heart Institute by calling 720-777-6820.