Pediatric Heart Program: Advanced heart care for children

Our congenital heart surgery program received the highest rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Newborns to teenagers benefit from our robust program.

We care for people affected with inherited or genetic conditions such as:

• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

• Loeys-Dietz syndrome

• Marfan syndrome

We screen and diagnose heart conditions before birth. We partner with you to develop a care plan for birth, any procedure or surgery that may be required, as well as your child’s ongoing heart care.

The AFCH multi-disciplinary Fontan clinic is a specialized clinic for children or teenagers that have had the Fontan operation. In this clinic, you will see several specialists.

The goal of the clinic is to improve care, reduce the number of appointments, coordinate testing, improve communication among health care providers and provide a unified treatment plan.

Most patients will be seen about 1 year after their Fontan operation, then about every 2-3 years after that.

Clinic providers:
(you will not meet with everyone, depending on the care you need)

• Cardiology

• Pulmonary (lungs)

• Hepatology (liver)

• MRI

• Neuropsychology

• Social Work

• School Liaison

Other specialists including: exercise physiology, nutrition, child life therapy, psychology/psychiatry

Testing

There will be tests needed before the clinic appointment. A nurse or scheduler will contact you to schedule these tests. We ask that these tests are done 1-2 weeks before your appointment so that the providers can review the results before your clinic visit.

Possible tests:

• Echocardiogram

• ECG

• Holter monitor

• Exercise test

• MRI - cardiac and liver

• FibroScan (liver test)

• Lab tests

• PFTs (pulmonary function tests)

We treat genetic (passed through families) heart rhythm disorders.

We care for children with risk factors for early heart disease. We help kids reduce or get rid of risk factors, like high cholesterol, that may cause heart disease.

We evaluate and care for children and teenagers with fainting (syncope) dizziness and POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).

Our pediatric heart transplant team gives advanced, high-quality care to children who need a ventricular assist device or new heart.

We care for adults born with heart conditions. We have a program to help kids transition to adult care.

We care for children diagnosed with, or at risk for, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which affects the heart’s electrical system.

• High LDL (low-density lipoprotein)

• Familial hypercholesterolemia (inherited high cholesterol in children)

• High triglycerides

• Low HDL (high-density lipoprotein)

• Elevated lipoprotein(a)

• Anomalous coronary artery

• Aortic regurgitation

• Aortic stenosis

• Aortopulmonary window

• Atrial septal defect (ASD)

• Atrioventricular canal defect (AV canal)

• Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV)

• Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt

• Coarctation of the aorta

• Coronary artery fistula

• Damus-Kaye-Stansel procedure

• Dextrocardia

• Double inlet left ventricle (DORV)

• Ebstein’s anomaly

• Fontan procedure

• Glenn procedure

• Hypoplastic heart syndrome (left and right)

• Interrupted aortic arch

• Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction

• Mitral regurgitation

• Mitral stenosis

• Mitral valve prolapse

• Norwood procedure

• Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR)

• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)

• Pulmonary atresia

• Pulmonary stenosis (PS)

• Pulmonary valve regurgitation

• Ross procedure

• Sano shunt procedure

• Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms

• Subaortic membrane

• Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)

• Total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR)

• Transposition of the great arteries (TGA)

• Tricuspid atresia

• Tricuspid regurgitation 

• Truncus arteriosus

• Vascular ring

• Ventricular septal defect (small to large)

Usually a heart has two working ventricles (pumping chambers). A child may be born with only one ventricle that works well enough to pump blood.

Read Joelle's story

• Bradycardia

• Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT)

• Heart block (first degree, Mobitz type I, Mobitz type II and third degree)

• Long QT syndrome (inherited arrhythmia)

• Premature atrial contractions (PAC)

• Premature ventricular contractions (PVC)

• Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)

• Tachycardia

• Ventricular tachycardia (VT)

• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW)

• Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD)

• Cardiomyopathy

• Chest pain

• Dilated cardiomyopathy

• Dysautonomia

• Eisenmenger's syndrome

• Endocarditis

• Fainting (syncope) and dizziness

• Heart failure

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

• Innocent heart murmur

• Kawasaki disease

• Marfan syndrome

• Myocarditis

• Patent foramen ovale (PFO)

• Pericarditis

• Peripheral pulmonic stenosis (PPS)

• Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)

• Pulmonary hypertension

• Restrictive cardiomyopathy

• Rheumatic fever

Specialists in both our UW Health Kids Diabetes Clinic and our Heart Clinic will work with your child to help prevent heart disease.

We use cardiac catheterization or angiograms to diagnose and treat congenital heart conditions. The doctor threads a thin, flexible tube through a vein in the groin up to the heart. Contrast dye and X-rays show areas of concern. If needed, tiny surgical tools can be sent along the tube to treat certain conditions during the procedure.

We use chest X-rays to get images of the heart, lungs, airways, blood vessels and lymph nodes. A chest X-ray also shows the breastbone, collarbone and upper spine.

We use this painless test to create moving images of the heart. Sound waves build pictures that are more detailed than X-rays. Echocardiogram help us diagnose structural heart disease.

We use this painless screening test to check for heart issues. Using electrodes, this test measures the rate of heartbeats, the size and position of the heart chambers and any damage to the heart muscle. An ECG also checks the effects of drugs or devices (such as a pacemaker) used to regulate the heart.

Our electrophysiology and pacing program diagnoses and treats abnormal heart rhythms in children. We use a variety of tests such as treadmill testing and electrophysiology studies. Treatments include medication, ablation and pacemaker implantation.

We use this test to check heart function and blood pressure while your child walks on a treadmill.

We use this ultrasound test to diagnosis heart defects in babies before birth. The test checks the heart’s function and structure.

We use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to create detailed images of the heart to diagnose heart conditions or plan treatments.

A pacemaker helps to regulate the heart rate and can stimulate the heart beat, if needed. An ICD monitors heart function and shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm when needed.

We use pulse oximetry to monitor oxygen levels in the blood.

We use this procedure to correct abnormal electrical circuits in the heart that cause arrhythmias. We thread a catheter through a vein in the groin up to the heart. We use X-rays to position the catheter at the site of the damaged electrical circuit. The catheter delivers energy (by heating or freezing) to destroy the abnormal circuit.

We perform an echocardiogram test before and after the heart exercise. This checks how the heart responds to exercise.