Children’s National Heart Institute’s Fetal Heart Program is the preeminent provider of fetal cardiac services in the region. The program is led by an expert in fetal cardiovascular care and supported by a team of experts that includes a world-renowned surgeon and experienced physicians. Postnatally, the Children’s National Heart Institute’s team provides a variety of cardiac services including electrophysiology, interventional catheterization and congenital heart surgery. Children’s Center for Prenatal Evaluation and Children’s National Heart Institute collaborate to provide fetal echocardiography services and ongoing management for fetuses with congenital heart disease.
Why Choose Children’s?
The team’s goal is to treat the fetus as a separate and individual patient, understand how heart defects affect well-being in utero and to determine when and if intervention may be possible. Medical in utero intervention includes drug management of life-threatening fetal arrhythmias and treatment of heart failure.
The Center for Prenatal Evaluation and Fetal Heart Program team members have strong ties in the community, allowing good communication among local obstetricians, neonatologists and pediatricians. The team coordinates consultations with Children’s cardiac surgeons and other necessary subspecialists. The team works closely with the family and birth hospital to plan the details of the baby’s delivery and care after delivery so that the heart abnormality
does not lead to significant illness or compromise at the time of birth. If cardiac surgery is required soon after birth, arrangements can be made for the delivery to occur in a facility where the infant can be stabilized with the help of Children’s cardiologists prior to transport to Children’s. In rare cases for which severe compromise is anticipated at the time of birth, the Fetal Delivery Team can plan for a delivery at Children’s with the support of a collaborative obstetrical team. Once transported to Children’s, patients are cared for in a dedicated Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and receive individualized care from a multidisciplinary team. The team conducts more than 1,000 fetal studies a year.
