You’re looking forward to giving birth and meeting your new baby. Or you just welcomed your new child into the world. But you’ve also found out your baby has a congenital heart condition. You want to provide the best care available for your child.
UVA Health Children's has the largest newborn heart program in Virginia. We're also the only center in Virginia that can provide the full range of care that may be needed. Your baby's treatment will be provided by experts in CHD at the #1 children's hospital in Virginia
What Is a Congenital Heart Defect?
A congenital heart defect is any change in a baby's heart or blood vessels that occurs before birth. These conditions are more common than most people realize, affecting 1% of all births yearly. While some of these changes aren't harmful and just need to be monitored, others will require immediate surgery.
When immediate surgery is needed, newborns stay in our nationally-ranked NICU. There, they'll receive the best care imaginable and continual monitoring to avoid complications.
For many procedures, we're also able to provide minimally invasive techniques. These reduce how much time is needed to heal, getting your family home faster.
Infant Heart Care at UVA Health Children's
When choosing your baby's care, you'll want to find experts you can trust. At UVA Health Children's, we have:
- Survival outcomes that go beyond the national and regional averages - see our success rates
- New techniques not available everywhere
- Compassionate, trained specialists with decades of experience
- Advanced technology and tools, right-sized for the tiniest babies
Nationally Ranked Heart Care for Children
UVA Health Children's cardiology and heart surgery program has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Home to an experienced team of specialists, our cardiology program is able to deliver better outcomes on even the most complex pediatric heart conditions. World-class heart care, because your kids mean the world to us.
Care & Support for Life
As a patient at UVA Health Children's, your baby has a full team of specialists committed to their lifelong well-being.
This expertise stays with you through all stages of your child's care:
- During pregnancy - accurate diagnosis using fetal echocardiogram
- At birth - nationally ranked care in our NICU
- As your baby grows - integrated care from specialists and pediatricians plus home monitoring
- When your child grows up - lifetime care at our Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic
Complete Follow-Up
In addition to making sure your child's heart is cared for, we also believe in follow-up care that addresses all of their needs. Through our neurocardio program, we can provide developmental follow-up for children with CHD.
Conditions & Treatments
- Arterial switch surgery for transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
- Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt
- Coarctation of the aorta (COA)
- Double aortic arch
- Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
- Fontan procedure
- Glenn procedure
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)
- Hypoplastic right heart syndrome (HRHS)
- Norwood procedure
Congenital Heart Defect Care You Can Trust
At UVA Health Children's, we’re with you from diagnosis to care in our NICU and beyond. You won't find more support anywhere else. View CHD transcript.
If Your Baby Needs a Heart Transplant
Some conditions get to the point where your child needs a new heart. You're in good hands. We’re the only hospital in the state that does childhood heart transplants.
Better Care Closer to Home
At UVA Health Children's, we're partnering with Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters and Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU to provide the best care for children needing heart surgery in central Virginia and beyond.
