Elizabeth DeWitt, MD
Medical Director, Surgical Electrophysiology Program; Associate Cardiologist, Department of Cardiology
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
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Elizabeth DeWitt, MD
Medical Director, Surgical Electrophysiology Program; Associate Cardiologist, Department of Cardiology
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Medical Services
Languages
English
Education
Undergraduate School
Middlebury College
2004
Middlebury
VT
Medical School
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2009
Bronx
NY
Internship
Boston Children's Hospital/Boston Medical Center
2010
Boston
MA
Residency
Boston Children's Hospital/Boston Medical Center
2012
Boston
MA
Fellowship
Cardiac Electrophysiology
Boston Children's Hospital
2016
Boston
MA
Media
PediHeart Podcast
Dr. DeWitt shares her insights into a recent report she co-authored by the Departments of Surgery and Cardiology at her institution about intraoperative mapping of conduction
Certifications
American Board of Pediatrics (General)
American Board of Pediatrics (Cardiology)
Professional History
Dr. DeWitt completed medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, and then came to the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center for internship and residency in Pediatrics. She stayed on for Cardiology fellowship, during which time she served as Chief Fellow. She completed a senior fellowship in Electrophysiology at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. DeWitt is currently a member of the Electrophysiology Division at Boston Children’s Hospital. She takes care of patients with heart rhythm disorders, in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. She also performs arrhythmia ablations and pacemaker, defibrillator and implantable loop recorder implants. In addition, she cares for patients with inherited cardiomyopathies and associated arrhythmias, including arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. She is the Electrophysiology representative for the Heterotaxy Program and the Medical Director of the Surgical Electrophysiology Program, an intradisciplinary program that aims to improve outcomes for patients. The current focus of this clinical program and research efforts is to decrease postoperative heart block by using electrophysiology mapping to identify conduction tissue at the time of the surgical repair.
Approach to Care
Being told your child has a heart problem, no matter how simple or complex, is overwhelming information for a parent to hear. One of my most important roles as a physician caring for patients with heart disease is to educate patients and their families about their condition. Applying my education and training to help relieve a family’s anxiety in this manner is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my job.
Publications
A Quality Improvement Initiative to Optimize Follow-Up in the New England Area for Pediatric Patients With Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices. View Abstract
Intraoperative Conduction Mapping to Reduce Postoperative Atrioventricular Block in Complex Congenital Heart Disease. View Abstract
Ventricular septation for double inlet ventricle: Avoiding conduction injury. View Abstract
Efficacy and safety of early postoperative ablation in patients with congenital heart disease. View Abstract
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators in paediatric patients: yet another example of healthcare divergence? View Abstract
Impact of permanent pacemaker for iatrogenic atrioventricular block on outcomes after congenital heart surgery. View Abstract
Intraoperative conduction system mapping during reoperative mitral valve replacement. View Abstract
Comparative utility of omnipolar and bipolar electroanatomic mapping methods to detect and localize dual nodal substrate in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia. View Abstract
Premature ventricular contractions in children and young adults: natural history and clinical implications. View Abstract
Analysis of Perioperative and Long-Term Outcomes Among Presentations of Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery Diagnosed Beyond Infancy Versus During Infancy. View Abstract
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Ventricular Preexcitation in the Young: Cause and Accessory Pathway Characteristics. View Abstract
Medical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation and flutter with class IC antiarrhythmic drugs in young patients with and without congenital heart disease. View Abstract
Retroflexed catheter course reduces the risk of right free wall accessory pathway recurrence. View Abstract
Unequal Representation in Pediatric Cardiology: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same? View Abstract
Sudden Cardiac Death in Adolescents: Allowing the Dead to Speak. View Abstract
Conduction mapping during complex congenital heart surgery: Creating a predictive model of conduction anatomy. View Abstract
Arrhythmias in Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. View Abstract
Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation for Pediatric Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia: Impact of Age on Procedural Methods and Durable Success. View Abstract
Intraoperative conduction mapping in complex congenital heart surgery. View Abstract
Relation of Norwood Shunt Type and Frequency of Arrhythmias at 6 Years (from the Single Ventricle Reconstruction Trial). View Abstract
Tachyarrhythmias arising from the conduction system in pediatric patients with complete heart block. View Abstract
Pacemaker use for the treatment of reflex-mediated syncope: 40-year experience at a single paediatric institution. View Abstract
Multicenter Outcomes of Catheter Ablation for Atrioventricular Reciprocating Tachycardia Mediated by Twin Atrioventricular Nodes. View Abstract
Parent-Reported Symptoms and Perceived Effectiveness of Treatment in Children Hospitalized with Advanced Heart Disease. View Abstract
Atrial pacing in Fontan patients: The effect of transvenous lead on clot burden. View Abstract
Accessory pathway ablation in Ebstein anomaly: A challenging substrate. View Abstract
Lead age as a predictor for failure in pediatrics and congenital heart disease. View Abstract
Risk Factors for Early Recurrence Following Ablation for Accessory Pathways: The Role of Consolidation Lesions. View Abstract
Value of provocative electrophysiology testing in the management of pediatric patients after congenital heart surgery. View Abstract
Clinical and Genetic Findings in Children Presenting With Ventricular Fibrillation as the First Manifestation of Cardiovascular Disease. View Abstract
Prevalence and Prognostic Association of a Clinical Diagnosis of Depression in Adult Congenital Heart Disease: Results of the Boston Adult Congenital Heart Disease Biobank. View Abstract
Adverse event rate during inpatient sotalol initiation for the management of supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia in the pediatric and young adult population. View Abstract
Ultra-rapid atrial pacing as a form of rate control in postoperative automatic arrhythmias in patients with congenital heart disease. View Abstract
Implanted pacemaker and cardioverter-defibrillator in a patient with ectopia cordis. View Abstract
Phenotypic Manifestations of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy in Children and Adolescents. View Abstract
Differentiation of fasciculoventricular fibers from anteroseptal accessory pathways using the surface electrocardiogram. View Abstract
Intravenous Amiodarone and Sotalol Impair Contractility and Cardiac Output, but Procainamide Does Not: A Langendorff Study. View Abstract
Coronary artery compression from epicardial leads: More common than we think. View Abstract
Trans-Fontan baffle placement of an endocardial systemic ventricular pacing lead. View Abstract
A Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Boot Camp improves trainee confidence. View Abstract
Rodent Working Heart Model for the Study of Myocardial Performance and Oxygen Consumption. View Abstract
Effects of commonly used inotropes on myocardial function and oxygen consumption under constant ventricular loading conditions. View Abstract
Time dependence of risks and benefits in pediatric primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy. View Abstract
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in children. View Abstract
Successful cryoablation of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia in a child with hemophilia A. View Abstract
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