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Deepika Thacker, MD

Cardiology

Primary Office

²¨É«µ¥Ë« Hospital, Delaware ²¨É«µ¥Ë« Hospital, Delaware 1600 Rockland Road Wilmington, DE 19803 Appointment: (800) 416-4441

Other Offices

Get to Know Me

Dr. Deepika Thacker is a pediatric cardiologist and assistant professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College. She’s a member of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and American Society of Echocardiography; an invited lecturer; and an author of journal articles, book chapters and abstracts.

Why I Treat Children

I first thought about medicine when I was young and doctors discovered a hole in a friend’s heart. From that moment, I decided I wanted to become a doctor and help children with problems like my friend’s. I never wanted to be anything else. Medical school and my medical training reaffirmed this decision. There is an added attraction to cardiology in that it provides a challenging field of medicine to study — the mix of anatomy and physiology is almost like math or engineering, and I enjoy it very much. Becoming a mother further validated my career choice for me. I see something of one of my own children in every child I treat.I’m happiest when I’m caring for children.. There’s no better feeling for me than when I’ve helped a child get better. At the end of every day I am thankful to be able to do what I do.

What I'm Passionate About

I always want to make sure that every child gets the best care and treatment, and that we do everything possible for that child. My role is to help each child get the most out of each day.

How I Try to Make A Difference

In addition to the care I deliver as a cardiologist, I also try to make a difference every day through my role as medical director of the hospital’s 2B cardiac unit. As we move to more unit-based inpatient care, we’ll continue to always look for ways to improve the great care we give. I’m excited to be a part of that. We’ll continue to work so that patients being discharged can go home sooner. We’ll continue to work to reduce readmissions. And we’ll continue to explore what it means to deliver true family-centered care — making parents and families part of our medical rounding and decision-making.

Education & Training

Fellowship

  • Pediatric Cardiology - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2010

Internship

  • Pediatrics - Seth G.S. Medical College, 2000

Residency

  • Pediatrics - Seth G.S. Medical College, 2002

Internship Residency

  • Pediatrics - SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 2006

Medical/Dental School

  • MBBS - Seth G. S. Medical College, 1998

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Pediatrics/Pediatric Cardiology

Awards & Recognition

  • 2014 Delaware Today magazine, Top Doctors
  • 2009 Women in Cardiology Trainee Award for Excellence
  • 2008 The Ann Newman Fellow for outstanding performance in clinical cardiology
  • 2006 The J. Fisher Award for excellence in teaching at SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Insurance Accepted

  • Aetna Better Health PA Kids HMO
  • Aetna HMO
  • Aetna PPO/POS/EPO
  • Amerihealth Caritas DE - PENNSYLVANIA SPECIALISTS ONLY
  • Amerihealth Caritas Delaware
  • Carefirst MD Community Health Plan Mcaid
  • Cigna/Great West HMO EPO POS
  • Cigna/Great West PPO
  • Delaware First Health
  • Delaware Medicaid/Diamond State
  • Delaware Medicare
  • Devon Health Services
  • Fidelis Care NJ Medicaid HMO
  • First Health/Affordable PPO
  • Geisinger Health Plan Commercial
  • Global Medical Managment DE/PA
  • Health Partners Medicaid/Kidz Partner HMO
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware *PA Loc Contiguous to DE*
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware *PA Loc NONContiguous to DE*
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Pennsylvania
  • Highmark Medicaid Health Options
  • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
  • Independance Blue Cross/Amerihealth/Keystone Health Plan
  • Insurance Administrators of America
  • INTEGRA Administrative Group (ClaimsBridge)
  • Keystone First Medicaid HMO
  • Lifetrac Transplant
  • Maryland Medicaid
  • Multiplan PPO
  • National Transplant (Humana)
  • New Jersey Medicaid
  • Pennsylvania Medicaid
  • Plan Vista/NPPN PPO
  • Preferred Healthcare PPO
  • Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
  • Qualcare HMO/POS/PPO
  • Star Healthcare Network
  • Three Rivers Provider Network
  • Tricare/Humana Military Health Services/CHAMPVA
  • United Healthcare of the Mid-Atlantic
  • UPMC MCAID/CHIP PA DE
  • US Family Health Plan
  • Wellpoint Maryland Medcaid

  • Aortic Stenosis
  • Atrial Septal Defects
  • Atrioventricular Canal Defect
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Coarctation of the Aorta
  • Congenital Heart Disease
  • Heart Failure
  • Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
  • Interrupted Aortic Arch
  • Patent Ductus Arteriosis
  • Pulmonary Artery Sling
  • Pulmonary Atresia
  • Pulmonary Hypertension
  • Pulmonary Stenosis
  • Tetralogy of Fallot
  • Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries
  • Tricuspid Atresia
  • Truncus Arteriosus
  • Ventricular Septal Defects

Research Activities

I’m actively involved in a multicenter, cardiac enrollment registry examining cardiac complications stemming from Kawasaki disease. I’m also involved in a trial involving atrioventricular valve regurgitation in fetuses with common atrioventricular canals, and another trial looking at single ventricle reconstruction. I participate in another trial through the Pediatric Heart Network, which looks at several aspects in children who have staged palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. My research interests generally center on the structure, development and treatment of patients with valve irregularities.

  • Variation in Pharmacologic Management of Patients with Kawasaki Disease with Coronary Artery Aneurysms; Journal of Pediatrics; (2022).

  • Understanding pediatric long COVID using a tree-based scan statistic approach: An EHR-based cohort study from the RECOVER Program; Unknown Source; (2022).

  • Pediatric Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Prescribing Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic; Unknown Source; (2022).

  • Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children: Survey of Protocols for Early Hospital Evaluation and Management; Journal of Pediatrics; (2021).

  • Comparison Between Currently Recommended Long-Term Medical Management of Coronary Artery Aneurysms After Kawasaki Disease and Actual Reported Management in the Last Two Decades; Pediatric Cardiology; (2021).

  • Low burden of COVID-19 disease in children with cancer and hematologic illnesses; Cancer Research, Statistics, and Treatment; (2021).

  • Return to Activity After SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Cardiac Clearance for Children and Adolescents; Sports Health; (2021).

  • Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (Mis-c): An emerging immune mediated syndrome in children associated with covid-19; Delaware Journal of Public Health; (2020).

  • Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children: Survey of early hospital evaluation and management; medRxiv; (2020).

  • Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin vs Warfarin for Thromboprophylaxis in Children With Coronary Artery Aneurysms After Kawasaki Disease: A Pragmatic Registry Trial; Canadian Journal of Cardiology; (2020).

  • Echocardiographic assessment of ventricular function: Conventional and advanced technologies and their clinical applications; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2020).

  • Severe cardiac dysfunction in a patient with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19: Retrospective diagnosis of a puzzling presentation. A case report; Progress in Pediatric Cardiology; (2020).

  • Overfeeding and obesity in young children with positive pressure ventilation via tracheostomy following cardiac surgery; Cardiology in the Young; (2020).

  • Social Risk Factors Impact Hospital Readmission and Outpatient Appointment Adherence for Children with Congenital Heart Disease; Journal of Pediatrics; (2019).

  • Pulmonary Vein Doppler Patterns in Infants with Single Right Ventricle Anomalies After Initial Staged Palliations; Pediatric Cardiology; (2017).

  • Systematic psychosocial screening in a paediatric cardiology clinic: Clinical utility of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist 17; Cardiology in the Young; (2016).

  • Predicting Utility of Exercise Tests Based on History/Holter in Patients with Premature Ventricular Contractions; Pediatric Cardiology; (2015).

  • Associations between day of admission and day of surgery on outcome and resource utilization in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who underwent stage i palliation (from the Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial); American Journal of Cardiology; (2015).

  • Impact of initial shunt type on cardiac size and function in children with single right ventricle anomalies before the fontan procedure: The single ventricle reconstruction extension trial; Journal of the American College of Cardiology; (2014).

  • Scoliosis surgery in children with congenital heart disease; Spine; (2014).

  • Atrioventricular valve regurgitation in the fetus with atrioventricular canal defect: Transition from prenatal to postnatal life; Pediatric Cardiology; (2013).

  • Cardiac anomalies in Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome due to a novel FOXC1 mutation; American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A; (2013).

  • Heart failure in the fetus with congenital heart disease; Heart Failure in Congenital Heart Disease: From Fetus to Adult; (2011).

  • Use of Oral Budesonide in the Management of Protein-Losing Enteropathy After the Fontan Operation; Annals of Thoracic Surgery; (2010).

  • Heterotaxy syndrome with mirror image anomalies in identical twins; Congenital Heart Disease; (2009).

  • Digoxin toxicity; Clinical Pediatrics; (2007).

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