Our heart center programs allow us to provide comprehensive care and customized treatment options for children with heart defects.
Pediatric Heart Surgery Options
Heart Transplant
We have the only full-service pediatric heart transplant program in Virginia, including:
- Ventricular assist devices (VADs) for children
- Desensitization for those with significant HLA antibodies
Interventional Catheterization to Delay or Avoid Surgery
Our interventional cardiologists have additional training in performing diagnostic and therapeutic catheterizations, which may eliminate or delay the need for surgery. This can include:
- Closure of heart defects
- Balloon enlargements of narrowed vessels
- Valve placement and/or stent placement for blocked or narrowed vessels
Heart Rhythm Treatment
Occasionally, a child or infant's heart has an abnormal rhythm that requires the insertion of specific devices, such as pacemakers, event recorders or internal cardioverter defibrillators.
- Pacemaker — This device can treat a very slow heart rate. It may be useful in some patients with conditions, like familial long QA syndrome, hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy or after a heart transplant.
- Cardioverter defibrillators — These devices deliver a small shock to keep the heart beating in a normal rhythm.
We also offer ablation, a procedure that uses radiofrequency to eliminate small areas of heart tissue that cause irregular heartbeats.
Pediatric Heart Surgery Support
We also offer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which provides both cardiac and respiratory support while the heart and lungs recover during certain critical illnesses.
We surgically treat all congenital heart defects.
Pediatric Genetics
Cardiac diseases may have genetic causes. We can help you understand any risks your child or other family members may have. Learn more about our pediatric genetics services.
Pediatric Heart Conditions We Treat
We treat a wide range of heart conditions in children, including:
- Arrhythmias, including atrial flutter and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
- Congenital heart disease, including the rare ones that need the most complex procedures
- Cardiomyopathy, including dilated, restrictive, hypertrophic
- Chest pains
- Inflammatory heart diseases, including:
- Endocarditis
- Kawasaki disease
- Myocarditis
- Pericarditis
- Heart failure
- Heart murmur
- Marfan syndrome
- Palpitations
- Pulmonary hypertension in children and in babies
- Syncope