Kathleen A. Mussatto, RN, BSN

Herma Heart Center 

Title(s): Research manager, Herma Heart Center.

Education: Bachelor of Science, Nursing, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, 1986; PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in progress.

Honors: Julie Lathrop Nursing Research Award, 2001

Research interests: Quality of life, psychosocial implications of chronic illness in children, neurodevelopmental outcomes and surgical and medical management of congenital heart disease.

Representative publications:

• Mussatto KA. (2006). Adaptation of the Child and Family to Life with a Chronic Illness. Cardiology in the Young, in press.
• Brosig CS, Mussatto KA, Kuhn E, Tweddell JS. (2006). Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Preschool Survivors of Complex Congenital Heart Disease: Implications for Clinical Practice. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, in press.
• Mussatto KA. (2006). Beyond Survival: What are the Outcomes that Really Matter to our Patients? Cardiology in the Young, in press.
• Brown MD, Wernovsky G, Mussatto KA, Berger S. (2005). Long-term and Developmental Outcomes of Children with Complex Congenital Heart Disease. Clinics in Perinatology, 32(4): 1043-57.
• Hoffman GM, Mussatto KA, Brosig CL, Ghanayem NS, Musa N, Fedderly RT, Jaquiss RD, Tweddell JS. Systemic Venous Oxygen Saturation after the Norwood Procedure and Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcome. Journal of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery. 2005 Oct; 130(4): 1094-100.
• Mussatto KA, Wernovsky G. (2005). Challenges Facing the Child, Adolescent and Young Adult after the Arterial Switch Operation. Cardiology in the Young, 15(Suppl.1):  111-21.

Evidence-based practice projects/current grants:

• Children's Hospital Foundation-2002. A Pilot Study to Evaluate Neurodevelopmental Outcome, Quality of Life and Impact on the Family in Survivors of Complex Congenital Heart Disease. Principal investigator. 
• Children's Hospital Foundation-2003. Health Related Quality of Life and Family Impact in Subjects with Complex Congenital Heart Disease. Principal investigator.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia-2005. Quality of Life Assessment in the Pediatric Cardiac Population: Testing the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory. Principal investigator.
• Children's Hospital Foundation-2003. Patterns of Heart-Rate Variability in Infants with Complex Heart Disease. Co-investigator.
• National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH-2005. Working Models of Care for Infants with a Heart Defect. Co-investigator.
• Children's Heart Foundation-2005. Neurodevelopmental Outcomes and Postoperative Hemodynamics in Children with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Co-investigator.

Contact information: Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, PO Box 1997, MS 715, Milwaukee, WI 53201. Phone: (414) 266-2073. Fax: (414) 266-2075. E-mail: kmussatto@chw.org.