SUMMARY
Allison Cabalka, M.D., is a pediatric cardiologist who has research interests in the areas of congenital and interventional cardiac catheterization and congenital echocardiography.
Dr. Cabalka cares for patients of all ages with congenital heart disease and also participates in the care of adult patients with structural heart disease with Mayo Clinic's structural heart disease team.
Focus areas
Dr. Cabalka and her colleagues are interested in catheter-based intervention for treatment of congenital heart defects, such as atrial septal defect, patent foramen ovale, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus and coarctation of the aorta.
In conjunction with the structural heart disease team at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Cabalka is interested in catheter-based closure of paravalvular leaks and the application of percutaneous, catheter-based valve implantation for treatment of failing tissue valves in the heart (valve-in-valve treatment). Dr. Cabalka is currently the principal investigator at Mayo Clinic for two studies:
- Coarctation of the Aorta Stent Trial. This trial involves treating patients with narrowing (coarctation) of the aorta with catheter-based stent implantation and covered stent implantation.
- Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Post-Approval Study Medtronic. The Melody valve is an FDA-approved percutaneous tissue valve that can be placed through a catheter to treat existing pulmonary valve conduit dysfunction (common after many types of congenital heart surgery).
Significance to patient care
Dr. Cabalka's research and involvement in the congenital cardiac catheterization team, structural heart disease team at Mayo Clinic allows improvement of patient care, offering catheter-based treatment of many complicated cardiac issues. The availability of percutaneous valve therapy and treatment of complex congenital heart issues is part of the multidisciplinary team approach at Mayo Clinic that provides continuous improvement in patient care.
Dr. Cabalka actively participates with the structural heart disease team at Mayo Clinic to provide care for complex structural heart issues, such as paravalvular leak closure and placement of new valves via a catheter-based approach, thereby avoiding the need for open-heart surgery.
Professional highlights
- Member, National IMPACT Registry steering committee. 2014-present