Heart Center

Description of Services

The Division of Pediatric Cardiology/Heart Center provides the most up-to-date technology to deliver a full complement of services to children who are born with or acquire heart disease. Services are provided from before birth to adulthood.

Ambulatory services include:

Cardiac catheterization
Standard electrocardiogram (ECG) and extended monitoring
Echocardiography (ECHO)
Fetal cardiology assessments
Exercise physiology assessments
Preventive cardiology, including lipid assessment
Extended office hours in convenient neighborhood locations

Inpatient services include:

Cardiac catheterization
Interventional and electrophysiologic catheterization
Cardiothoracic surgery
Medical management of heart failure and rhythm disturbances

Surgery services are performed by members of the Pediatric Section of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Division, part of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery. Members of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Division provide cardiothoracic surgical intervention for infants, children and young adults with congenital cardiovascular disease, congenital abnormalities of the tracheobronchial tree and abnormalities of the chest wall.

Surgical teams also perform heart, lung and heart-lung transplantation. They also use extended circulatory support procedures for some children awaiting transplantation, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and ventricular assist devices (VAD).

Children’s operates a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), which provides each critically ill pediatric heart patient with a space specially designed to support his or her multidisciplinary medical and surgical needs.

Children's also is a partner in the area's first Pediatric Cardiac Recovery Program (PCRP) with The Children's Institute, Pittsburgh's provider of premier pediatric rehabilitative care. With both inpatient and outpatient components, the PCRP program is designed to optimize the healing process and improve the quality of life for children with cardiac conditions and their loved ones. Pediatric specialists from Children's Hospital and The Children's Institute focus on the unique rehabilitation needs of these patients and their families, identifying possible complications early and making long-term recommendations. View our brochure (PDF).

For the Cardiology staff, dealing with the emotional needs of children and their families is as important as dealing with the physical and medical needs of each patient. Continuing support programs and activities for patients and their families include:

Heart-to-Heart, a parent support group that connects families sharing similar experiences. Volunteer families from Heart-to-Heart visit hospitalized patients and their parents every week throughout the year.
Heart Camp, a four-day camping experience for children who have undergone heart-related medical procedures. Heart Camp gives children the opportunity to have fun and also to make new friends, talking with their peers about issues and concerns they have about their disease and shared experiences.