Pediatric Heart Conditions & Treatments
Make an Appointment with a UH Rainbow Heart Specialist
To schedule an appointment with one of our pediatric heart experts, call 216-844-3528 or schedule online.
Have a Question Regarding Your Child’s Care? Connect with Our Experts
General Cardiology Nurse Advice Line: 216-844-7712
Expert Care for Congenital and Acquired Heart Disease in Babies and Children
The skilled team of pediatric heart specialists at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s has the extensive training, experience and expertise to care for the full spectrum of pediatric heart disease. From heart murmurs and arrhythmias to complex congenital heart defects, our pediatric cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and other staff can diagnose, manage and treat heart problems from the common to the extremely rare.
Advanced Technology and State-of-the-Art Facilities
Our pediatric heart specialists use state-of-the-art technology to diagnose heart problems in babies and children of all ages and employ advanced treatments and procedures. These include repairing potentially fatal defects in the tiniest of hearts. Our technologically advanced facilities include hybrid pediatric catheterization and surgical suites and a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit and stepdown unit. Our goal is to provide exceptional pediatric heart care every step of the way, from comprehensive diagnostics, treatment and recovery, to follow-up care, management and support for our young patients and their families.
Conditions We Treat
Some of the major categories of pediatric heart disease we treat include:
Acquired heart disease
Acquired heart disease is a category of heart disease that a child is not born with but may develop during childhood due to illness or infection, an autoimmune disease and other reasons.
Adult congenital heart disease
Adults who were treated for congenital heart defects during childhood require specialized care as adults, and should be managed by trained specialists who have expertise in both pediatric and adult heart disease.
Arrhythmias
Arrhythmias are irregular heart rhythms that can be present at birth or acquired during childhood. There many types of arrhythmias that can make the heart beat too fast, too slow or in an irregular pattern.
Congenital heart defects
These structural abnormalities of the heart are present from birth. They can involve the heart walls, valves, arteries and other parts of the heart’s anatomy. These defects range from mild, which may require minimal or no treatment, to severe defects that require multiple surgeries during infancy and childhood.
Fetal heart disease
When a fetal heart defect is identified while a baby is still in utero, our pediatric heart specialists work together with maternal-fetal specialists at UH to coordinate care for both mom and baby before, during and after delivery.
Single ventricle defects
One of the most serious forms of congenital heart disease, a single ventricle defect prevents the heart from pumping blood effectively. Approximately 1 in 10,000 children are born with a single ventricle heart defect.
Other areas of expertise include:
- Diagnostic imaging: Our advanced imaging capabilities allows our team to provide accurate heart diagnoses and utilize some of the most advanced imaging technology in the world to develop comprehensive treatment plans for better outcomes.
- Electrophysiology: Our expert pediatric electrophysiology team can diagnose and treat children with arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms.
- Fetal cardiac intervention: Fetal cardiac intervention allows our teams of pediatric heart and maternal fetal medicine experts to treat certain life-threatening heart conditions while the baby is still in utero, potentially preventing the need for more invasive surgical procedures after birth.
- Interventional cardiology: Our interventional cardiology program allows children with certain heart defects to be treated without surgery, using techniques such as cardiac catheterization, balloon angioplasty and valvuloplasty and endovascular stenting.
- Cardiothoracic surgery: Our skilled pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons and state-of-the-art imaging and surgical facilities give our team the ability to provide life-saving surgical treatment for children with a variety of congenital heart defects and structural problems of the heart.
- Cardio-oncology: This program offers specialized cardiac care for pediatric cancer patients, monitoring them for signs of heart problems that could potentially develop from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
- Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program: This program provides ongoing neurological evaluations and early diagnosis and treatment for children who have undergone cardiac surgery in infancy, putting them at higher risk for neurocognitive developmental delays.
Your child’s health is important. Get expert care.
To schedule an appointment with one of our pediatric heart experts, call
216-844-3528.
UH Rainbow is recognized as a Level I Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), reserved for hospitals that meet the highest standards for quality care, safety, staffing, training, data collection and infrastructure. This quality indicator means that we are focused to prevent complications, hold down costs and improve patient outcomes.