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Dell Children’s Medical Center doubles space for its cardiac critical care unit in Austin

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Dell Children’s Medical Center doubles space for its cardiac critical care unit in Austin


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Dell Children’s Medical Center doubled the number of its cardiac critical care unit beds last week from 24 to 48 by opening a new unit in its main hospital.

The new unit takes over a space that was part of the pediatric intensive care unit, which moved after the fourth tower opened in November 2022.

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The doubling of the critical care unit comes five years after the launch of the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease, a joint project of the hospital and UT Health Austin, the clinical arm of Dell Medical School.

The center has now done more than 2,000 heart surgeries, including 30 heart transplants and all the mechanical intervention surgeries that can be done as well as a partial heart transplant. It now had delivered babies in the hospital who were diagnosed with heart programs as fetuses and then are taken immediately to surgery at birth.

“Because of their expertise, we’ve had to expand,” said Michael Wiggins, the president of Dell Children’s, about the cardiac team. “It is a milestone on our path and our commitment to delivering the highest level and most comprehensive heart care to families in Central Texas.”

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The program has grown faster than anyone anticipated, getting to mechanical devices and heart transplants years before Dr. Charles Fraser Jr., the head of the cardiac program, thought they would.

“Who would have thought we would be here five years ago, opening up our 48th dedicated critical care bed for children, adults, patients and families with congenital heart disease?” Fraser said.

In first 5 years of heart program, Dell Children’s has surprised even itself. Where it’s headed.

He pointed to the dozens of nurses, doctors and fellows who gathered for the opening on Thursday: “None of them were here five years ago,” he said.

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The growth he said, “is driven by the need, the need of patients and families,” he said.

Patients are coming from throughout Texas, neighboring states and even Europe, South America and Africa for cardiac care.

Because the center outgrew the cardiac critical care unit, it has had to control how many patients could enter its program. “You’ve got to have a bed available,” said Dr. Chesney Castleberry, the medical director for the heart failure, VAD (ventricular assist device), and transplant program. Now, she’ll be able to bring in more kids as well as added staff.

First look: Inside the new Texas Children’s Hospital in Austin opening in February

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The opening of a second unit puts critical cardiac patients in one space. Previously, the hospital had some of its critical cardiac patients housed throughout the hospital because it outgrew the original unit, which opened in 2019. Fraser expects this new unit will be full within a month. The hospital will make use of space in the neonatal intensive care unit, which also recently expanded, and the new pediatric intensive care unit, he said, when both cardiac units are full.

Ten of the new unit’s beds will be for children in heart failure, many of whom are waiting for a heart transplant. Patients typically wait three to four months for a heart once listed, and those too sick to be at home, move into the hospital until the transplant happens. With that in mind, Dell Children’s added showers to those rooms so family members can stay with their children and not only have the pull-out couch, but also a full bathroom.

“It’s their unit, it’s their hospital and we’re just lucky to participate in their lives,” Fraser said.



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Austin, TX

Texas Relays draws in top athletes to Austin

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Texas Relays draws in top athletes to Austin


Hemp Rules Tighten – Texas regulators have officially banned intoxicating hemp flower, a move supporters say closes a loophole but critics warn could cripple a billion‑dollar industry. Adam Schwager looks at how retailers are scrambling to adjust, what products remain legal, and why some business owners believe the change will push buyers back toward the illicit market.

State Backs Psychedelic Research – Texas is investing $50 million into clinical trials for ibogaine, a powerful psychedelic some veterans say helped them overcome PTSD and addiction. Dylan McKim examines why the research plan hit a roadblock with private partners, the state’s decision to fully fund the studies, and questions about how much more Texas may need to spend to pursue FDA approval.



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Austin, TX

Austin weather: Storms, gusty winds expected across Central Texas as cold front moves in

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Austin weather: Storms, gusty winds expected across Central Texas as cold front moves in


A cold front moving through Central Texas is expected to bring scattered storms, gusty winds, and a sharp drop in temperatures Saturday, with conditions improving by Easter Sunday.

Austin Saturday Forecast

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The primary threats include wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph and the potential for localized flooding.

The approaching cold front is expected to intensify storms as they move eastward late Saturday morning into the afternoon. Residents are advised to remain weather-aware during this period.

Temperatures, which started in the low 70s Saturday morning, are forecast to drop throughout the day, falling into the 50s and 60s by late afternoon. Strong northerly winds, with gusts up to 30 mph, will continue into Sunday.

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Easter Sunday forecast

By Saturday evening, rain chances are expected to diminish, leading to a mostly dry but cloudy and breezy Easter Sunday. Morning temperatures will begin in the 50s, with afternoon highs only reaching the 60s.

Austin 7-Day forecast

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The Source: Information in this article comes from FOX 7 Meteorologist Adaleigh Rowe.

WeatherAustin



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Austin, TX

Detectives Investigating Homicide on Tuscany Way in East Austin

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Detectives Investigating Homicide on Tuscany Way in East Austin


The Austin Police Department is investigating a Thursday evening shooting at the Penske Rental Truck facility in East Austin that resulted in the death of a 39-year-old man.

The department revealed details about the incident in a Friday press release. At around 5:42 p.m., Austin police officers responded to a shoot/stab hotshot call at the Penske Rental Truck facility located at 8201 Tuscany Way.

The caller reported that a man had been shot. When officers arrived, they encountered two individuals next to a man on the ground suffering from visible gunshot wounds. The injured person was later identified as 39-year-old William Rogers.

APD officers provided Rogers with medical assistance until Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene to transport him to a local hospital, where he died.

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Homicide detectives and crime scene specialists responded to the scene and learned that Rogers and another man, 28-year-old Javarus Crumpton, knew each other and both worked as movers.

The two men and the third man arrived at the facility to rent a Penske moving truck. After an argument arose regarding the rental deposit cost, Crumpton allegedly shot Rogers. Crumpton and the third person remained on the scene and are cooperating with the investigation.

No arrests have been made in the case, which is being investigated as Austin’s 17th homicide of 2026. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office was notified about the incident.

Residents with information about the case can contact APD at 512-974-TIPS. Submit anonymous tips through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting its website or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.





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