About Pediatric Cardiology

Pediatric Cardiologists care for patients with congenital or acquired cardiac and cardiovascular abnormalities. The scope of pediatric Cardiology practice is extensive. Pediatric Cardiologists evaluate and care for fetuses, neonates, infants, children, and adolescents. Special areas of clinical and academic interest include: Intensive Cardiac Care, Cardiac Catheterization and Intervention, Electrophysiology, Imaging, Fetal Pediatric Cardiology, Exercise Physiology, Preventive Pediatric Cardiology, Heart Failure and Transplantation, and Pulmonary Hypertension.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the type of heart disease that a baby is born with. In reality, it is a defect, or abnormality of the heart or blood vessels near the heart, and not a disease, so many people use the term “congenital heart defect”. The majority of children born today with CHD will survive and with proper treatment be able to lead a normal or near-normal life. Some kinds of CHD are mild and may not be diagnosed in infancy. Other types of CHD are severe and will be diagnosed soon after birth.