Helping Kids Heal Sooner. And More Comfortably.

This story originally appeared in the Calgary Herald on April 4, 2026

When a child is critically ill or injured, every minute matters. Having the right tools can mean the difference between life and death — full recovery and lifelong challenges.

Laura Klatzel knows how quickly everything can change. What was supposed to be a quiet morning at home with her newborn quickly became a life-or-death emergency. Twelve-day-old Nash was fussy and refusing to feed, and when Laura noticed his lips looked slightly blue, she called 911 for help.

Nash was rushed to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, where specialists used point-of-care ultrasound to examine his heart. The real-time images revealed that Nash’s heart was beating dangerously fast and not pumping effectively, putting him at risk of cardiac arrest.

Until recently, ultrasound technology was largely confined to the Diagnostic Imaging department. Today, point-of-care ultrasound is increasingly being used right at the bedside at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, allowing clinicians to assess and intervene faster. It is transforming care in ways that are both life-saving and comforting for families.

For example, experts can quickly examine a child’s heart, lungs or abdomen to diagnose serious conditions. Ultrasound can also guide difficult IV insertions and help deliver nerve blocks that reduce pain from broken bones — often avoiding the need for sedation.

Thanks to generous donor support, portable ultrasound machines are now in use throughout the hospital, helping teams deliver faster, gentler care to children every day.

“With strong support from our Diagnostic Imaging colleagues, clinicians in many specialties are finding innovative ways to use ultrasound to assess, diagnose and treat children. In many ways, it’s becoming the modern-day stethoscope.”
— Dr. Mark Bromley, Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician and KidSONO Co-Director

Helping drive this rapid expansion is KidSONO — a first-of-its-kind training platform developed by physicians at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and funded by donations. The program teaches doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists how to use point-of-care ultrasound to care for children and is helping establish the hospital as a national leader in pediatric ultrasound education. KidSONO is now being shared with children’s hospitals across Canada, helping train pediatric teams nationwide and advancing ultrasound care in pediatrics across the country.

For Nash, having that technology available in such a critical moment saved his life.

His condition continued to deteriorate. Doctors placed him on Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS), a form of heart-lung bypass that allows the body time to rest and recover.

But as the team worked to place the specialized tubes required for ECLS, Nash’s heart stopped. While the team performed chest compressions, ultrasound helped the surgeon guide the cannula — the tube connecting him to the life-support machine — safely into his neck vessels. This vital visualization allowed the team to work quickly and precisely, even during active resuscitation.

Nash was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, a fast, erratic heart rhythm that can cause the heart to fail if not treated quickly. With rapid intervention, advanced support including ECLS, and the training and bedside ultrasound tools to guide his care, Nash survived without permanent brain damage — a remarkable outcome after such a critical event.

Had this happened to us anywhere other than the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the outcome of Nash’s story would have been very different.”
— Laura, Nash’s mom

Today, Nash is a happy, thriving 20-month-old whose condition is well managed with medication. He is growing, laughing and reaching his milestones — a powerful reminder that the right care at the right moment doesn’t just save a child’s life, it helps protect the life they will go on to live.