Parents of infants with complex heart defects will now be given a new telehealth platform when they are discharged from Children's of Alabama to monitor the home recovery process.

The Locus Health app is a remote monitoring system that connects parents and healthcare providers allowing them to share vital health information in real-time.

Children's new partnership with Locus Health will help improve efficacy for the monitoring of infants' health during the high-risk days and weeks following treatment for congenital heart defects. The Locus platform utilizes Apple iPads and iPhones and replaces the binders, papers and pencils that have traditionally been used to track children's vitals.

"With the launch of Locus Health at Children's of Alabama, families will have a tool that strengthens the connection between their child and healthcare providers, all from the comfort of their home," said Sarah Blair, RN, MSN, CRNP, director of Hearts at Home at Children's of Alabama. "Families will be able to electronically document vital data, such as heart rate, oxygen saturation and weight which can help them recognize changes in their child before they become a life-threatening concern."

Locus will be integrated into the hospital's existing Hearts at Home program which provides home monitoring and support for babies with complex congenital heart disease treated in the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center of Alabama at Children's. Babies in the program include those born with a single ventricle (pumping chamber) who will undergo three major open-heart surgeries by the time they are two to three years old. The months spent at home after the first and before the second surgery are the most critical and the most overwhelming for parents.