Children's Heart Care

Each pediatric cardiologist in our children's cardiology program offers diagnostic and cardiac catheterization procedures and provides a range of services to care for children with congenital heart disease, atrial septal defect, heart murmur and other childhood heart problems.

Why is Children's Mercy the best hospital for pediatric heart care?
Children's Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri, operates the only pediatric heart care center in the 150-county region. Each care team is led by a highly experienced pediatric cardiologist who is board certified in pediatric cardiology. Services are designed specifically for children, newborns to young adults, with congenital or acquired heart disease. Treatments emphasize preventive care. Diagnostic and specialty cardiac catheterization procedures are provided to reduce adverse events related to hospitalization and surgery.

The best pediatric cardiologists in the Midwest are at Children's Mercy.
Children's Mercy is the only hospital in the region where board-certified pediatric cardiologists provide cardiac care for children who need heart care. Each pediatric cardiologist has the support of nursing, social work, nutrition and exercise physiology.

What is an atrial septal defect (ASD)?
An atrial septal defect is one of the most common congenital heart defects, or abnormalities.  The heart is divided into four separate chambers.  The upper chambers (atria) are divided by a wall (septum).  An atrial septal defect is a hole in the septum.  In some children, the hole may close without treatment.  For others, the atrial septal defect is commonly closed by open-heart surgery.  Please visit our section on pediatric heart surgery for additional details on Children's Mercy's region-leading pediatric surgery program.

What is a heart murmur? How would I know if my child has a heart murmur?
A heart murmur is a sound made by blood circulating through the heart's chambers or blood vessels.  Physicians may hear an extra sound when listening to a child's heart with a stethoscope. Some heart murmurs in children are very faint, while others are very loud.  To evaluate a heart murmur in a child, a pediatric cardiologist will grade the heart murmur based on its intensity. 

Some murmurs are not related to congenital heart defects and may resolve by themselves during childhood. These are often called innocent murmurs and are very common. Read more about one mom's experience with her child's heart murmur.

Others may be related to a structural problem of the heart, such as a small hole between the lower chambers of the heart or the leaking of valves.  Only a pediatric cardiologist can tell you whether the heart murmur in your child signals heart disease.  For more details, see our pediatric care cards for children with heart murmurs.

What is considered a congenital heart disease in a child?
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a structural heart problem (or defect) that is present at birth.  A congenital heart defect is a term used to describe the problem with a part of the heart, the heart valves, and/or blood vessels near the heart that do not develop properly. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of major birth defect.  Common congenital heart defects associated with congenital heart disease are listed below:

Abnormal Passages in the Heart or Blood Vessels

• Atrial septal defect
• Ventricular septal defect
• Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD)
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)

Problems with the Heart Valves

• Aortic valve stenosis
• Pulmonary valve atresia
• Pulmonary valve stenosis
• Tricuspid atresia
• Ebstein's anomaly

Problems with Placement or Development of Blood Vessels near the Heart

• Transposition of the great vessels
• Tetraology of Fallot
• Truncus arteriosus
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Anomalous pulmonary venous return

Problems with Development of the Heart

• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a combination of defects where the left side of the heart does not develop properly.
• Single ventricle describes a group of heart defects where only one ventricle is present instead of two. It can be a single right or a single left ventricle.

What is a cardiac catheterization?

A cardiac catheterization is a specialized procedure in which a long, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into a vein and guided into the heart, allowing pediatric cardiologists a closer look at the structures inside the heart. Cardiac catheterization can be performed on children of any age.

A catheterization is typically done after X-rays, electrocardiograms (EKG or ECG), echocardiograms (ultrasound wave tests), and a physical examination have shown that a definite heart problem exists. Many times, a cardiac catheterization can be the only test that provides enough information to determine treatment. The cardiac catheterization may be done to get cardiac tissue for biopsy, to open the atrial septum in congenital heart problems or to place a stent to keep narrowed arteries open.

Our state-of-the-art pediatric cardiac catheterization lab is located in the West Tower on the 3^rd floor.  A series of pediatric cardiac catheterization care cards are available to help you better understand how to prepare your child for a cardiac catheterization and ensure that you know what to expect following your child's cardiac catheterization.

Physicians

• Gowdamarajan, R., MD
  Specialty Interests: Echocardiography, transesophageal echo, fetal echo, clinical cardiology
• Ardinger Jr., Robert, MD
  Specialty Interests: Clinical cardiology, echocardiography, cardiac genetics
• Drake, III, William B., MD
  Specialty Interests: Transesophageal echo, cardiac catherization
• Gelatt, Mark, MD
  Specialty Interests: pediatric exercise physiology in cardiac patients
• Hubbell, Jr, Marius M., MD
  Specialty Interests: Cardiac catherization, interventional cardiology
• Hulse, Edward, MD
  Specialty Interests: Electrophysiology, radiofrequency ablation
• Kaine, Stephen F., MD
  Specialty Interests: Interventional cardiology
• Sabath, Richard, EdD
  Specialty Interests: Pediatric physiologic responses to exercise, environmental effects on the physiological responses to exercise

Children with Heart Disease
(diagnoses and conditions)

• Atrial septal defect
• Congenital and acquired heart disease
• Heart murmurs
• Dysrhythimas
• Pacemakers
• Chest pain
• Syncope (fainting)
• Heart transplants (pre-and post-op)
• Preventive cardiology
• High cholesterol or other high-risk factors for atherosclerosis

Pediatric Cardiology  Services

Cardiac catheterization:

- Diagnostic

- Interventional

• Balloon atrial septostomy
• Balloon dilation for:
  • Pulomonary valve stenosis
  • Aortic valve stenosis
  • Pulmonary artery stenosis
  • Recoarctation of the aorta
  • Device closure of atrial septal defects
  • Coil occlusion of abnormal blood vessels
  • Intravascular stents
  • Electrophysiology studies
  • Radiofrequency ablation
  • Esophageal pacing studies

Cardiac diagnostic evaluation

Cardiac rehabilitation

Echocardiography:

• Fetal echo
• Transesophageal echo
• Transthoracic echo

Electrocardiography (ECG)

12-lead ECGs

24-hour ambulatory ECG – Holter monitoring

Exercise physiology

Exercise stress testing

Pacemaker evaluation

Tilt-table testing (non-invasive)

Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics is the Kansas City region's exclusive pediatric medical center and health care network. Our physicians, nurses and technicians are all trained specifically to work with children. We provide the finest care possible in the following pediatric subspecialties: Adolescent Medicine; Allergy/Asthma/Immunology, Anesthesiology; Bone Marrow Transplant; Burn/Trauma Care; Cardiology; Cardiovascular Surgery Cleft Palate/Craniofacial; Clinical Pharmacology; Clinical Toxicology; Critical Care Medicine; Dentistry; Dermatology; Developmental and Behavioral Sciences; Ear, Nose and Throat (Otorhinolaryngology); Emergency Medicine; Endocrinology/Diabetes; Gastroenterology; General Pediatrics; General/Thoracic/Urologic Surgery; Genetics; Gynecological Surgery; Hearing and Speech; Liver Transplant; Hematology/Oncology; Home Care; Hospitalists; Infectious Disease; Medical Research; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Neonatology; Nephrology; Neurology; Neurosurgery; Nursing; Occupational Therapy; Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic Surgery; Pathology/Laboratory Medicine; Physical Therapy; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Pulmonology; Radiology; Rehabilitation Medicine; Respiratory Care; Rheumatology; Transport; Transplantation; Vision Sciences. Click here for additional information.