The New York Comprehensive Thalassemia Center (NYCTC) Pediatric Program is a model comprehensive clinical service under the supervision of Director Sujit Sheth, M.D., who coordinates and links multiple services with the assistance of a nurse coordinator and a collaborative team of pediatric consultants including cardiologists, endocrinologists and gastroenterologists. Services are also provided by genetic counselors, social workers and psychologists. Optimal care requires routine surveillance and monitoring of patients’ conditions, treatment response, efficacy, safety and early interventions to minimize complications. We provide a complex network of linked services, ranging from screening, diagnosis, genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis and psychosocial services, to specialized medical care and stem cell transplantation.
The NYCTC is located in a recently renovated space on the sixth floor of the Payson Pavilion at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center (NYPH/WCMC). Our program employs five examination rooms, a procedure room, a phlebotomy room and a transfusion solarium which accommodates eight bays dedicated to the treatment of thalassemia and other diseases that require transfusion/infusion therapy. We serve patients and families residing in the greater New York metropolitan area, as well as those visiting who may require maintenance transfusion support or emergency medical care during their visits. We administer red blood cell transfusions and timely initiation of iron chelation to prevent the complications of transfusional iron overload. Quarterly, comprehensive evaluations and annual studies are provided to address the regular surveillance, monitoring, prevention and treatment of hepatic, endocrine and cardiac complications related to iron overload and the potential infectious contamination or alloimmunization from transfusions. A home care program for the administration of iron chelation is also coordinated within the NYCTC. 24-hour emergency services, a telephone answering service, and access to hospital care for emergencies are available through the ER service at NYPH.