Nancy A. Ayres, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology)
Director of Non-Invasive Imaging and Perinatal Cardiology, Texas Children's Hospital
Associate, Pediatric Cardiology, Texas Children's Hospital
Education and Training
- M.D. - 1977 Texas Tech University School of Medicine
- Residency - 1978-1980 University of Virginia Hospital
- Fellowship - 1980-1981 University of Virginia Hospital
- Fellowship - 1981-1984 University of Iowa Hospital
Board Certifications
- American Board of Pediatrics
- American Board of Pediatrics, Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology
Clinical and Research Interests
Dr. Ayres is the director of the Echocardiography Laboratory at Texas Children’s Hospital. She supervises the training and teaching of cardiology fellows in the echo lab and coordinates the fourth-year echo fellowship training program. Dr. Ayres’ areas of interests are fetal echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, and telecardiology. She is presently developing a subsection of perinatal cardiology to provide comprehensive cardiac care to the fetus with congenital cardiac defects to further enhance the active fetal echocardiography service. She is presently evaluating the outcome of fetuses diagnosed with tachycardia. She is actively involved with a multicenter study to evaluate the medical and financial outcome of patients diagnosed with congenital heart disease by tele-echo-cardiography. Other research projects include National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Multicenter grants, “P2C2 HIV-Prospective Study of Pediatric Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Complications of Vertically Transmitted HIV,” “Project Heartbeat-Epidemiology of CVD Risk Factors in US/Japan,” “Role of Echocardiography in Monitoring Children after Cardiac Allograph Transplantation,” and “Conscious Sedation in Echocardiography Laboratory.” She also has studied the effects of chronic maternal exercise on fetal cardiac output during pregnancy.
Select Publications
- Rychik J, Ayres N, Cuneo B, Gotteiner N, Hornberger L, Spevak PJ, Van Der Veld M. American Society of Echocardiography guidelines and standards for performance of the fetal echocardiogram. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2004;17:803-10.
- McMahon CJ, Ravekes WJ, O'Brian Smith E, Denfield SW, Pignatelli RH, Altman CA, Ayres NA. Risk Factors for Neo-Aortic Root Enlargement and Aortic Regurgitation Following Arterial Switch Operation. Pediatr Cardiol. 2004.
- Eidem BW, McMahon CJ, Cohen RR, Wu J, Finkelshteyn I, Kovalchin JP, Ayres NA, Bezold LI, O'Brian Smith E, Pignatelli RH. Impact of cardiac growth on Doppler tissue imaging velocities: a study in healthy children. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2004;17:212-21.
- McMahon CJ, Ayres N, Pignatelli RH, Franklin W, Vargo TA, Bricker JT, El-Said HG. Echocardiographic presentations of endocarditis, and risk factors for rupture of a sinus of Valsalva in childhood. Cardiol Young. 2003;13:168-72.
- John JB, Bricker JT, Fenrich AL, Vick GW, El-Said HG, Ayres NA, Bezold LI. Images in cardiovascular medicine. Fetal diagnosis of right ventricular aneurysm associated with supraventricular tachycardia with left bundle-branch block aberrancy. Circulation. 2002;106:141-2.
- McMahon CJ, Ayres NA, Lewin MB. Cardiac rhabdomyoma: a report of alternative strategies to surgical resection. Cardiol Young. 2001;11:670-2.
- Kovalchin JP, Lewin MB, Bezold LI, Altman CA, Ayres NA. Harmonic imaging in fetal echocardiography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2001;14:1025-9.
- Nowlen TT, Ayres NA, Kearney DL, Nihill MR, Grifka RG. Premature closure of the foramen ovale associated with aortic stenosis, left ventricular dilation with thrombus, and early mortality. Am J Cardiol. 2000;85:1159-61, A9.
- Andropoulos DB, Ayres NA, Stayer SA, Bent ST, Campos CJ, Fraser CD. The effect of transesophageal echocardiography on ventilation in small infants undergoing cardiac surgery. Anesth Analg. 2000;90:47-9.
- Bowles NE, Kearney DL, Ni J, Perez-Atayde AR, Kline MW, Bricker JT, Ayres NA, Lipshultz SE, Shearer WT, Towbin JA. The detection of viral genomes by polymerase chain reaction in the myocardium of pediatric patients with advanced HIV disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1999;34:857-65.
Contact Information
Address:
Texas Children's Hospital
6621 Fannin St., MC 19345-C
Houston, TX 77030
Phone:
832-826-5600
Fax: 832-825-5630
E-mail: nayres@bcm.edu