Roughly one baby in every 100 is born with a heart disorder in the United States. At UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, our experts can find many heart abnormalities and disorders before your child is born.
The Perinatal Cardiology Program is a unique branch of the UPMC Children's Heart Institute. The program consists of fetal and neonatal heart health.
We provide care mainly at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, but we can also see people at satellite locations.
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What Is the Fetal and Perinatal Cardiology Program?
The Fetal and Perinatal Cardiology Program combines expertise from UPMC Magee-Womens and UPMC Children’s to provide comprehensive heart health for:
- Unborn babies, while still in utero (in the womb).
- Newborn infants with cardiovascular complications.
Our experts specialize in neonatal cardiovascular care, including heart diseases and other heart defects.
Neonatal cardiology allows us to assess and manage premature and full-term babies with heart defects. Our neonatal heart experts work as a team with cardiologists and neonatologists in both critical care and research.
What conditions do you treat?
Our neonatal heart program can diagnose and treat:
- Arrhythmias — Heart rhythm problems
- Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) — Heart conditions present at birth.
- Heart function problems in very sick newborns.
What Fetal and Perinatal Cardiology Services Do You Offer?
We offer comprehensive cardiology care for unborn, premature, and full-term babies with heart abnormalities.
Our cardiology programs consist of fetal cardiology and neonatal cardiology.
Fetal cardiology
Fetal cardiology involves checking the hearts of unborn babies for signs of CHDs. This allows doctors to identify babies who may be at risk for heart problems at birth, so we can plan for their care.
The fetal cardiology program at UPMC Children's and UPMC Magee is among the busiest in the world. We perform about 1,800 fetal echocardiograms each year. Since this program launched in 1988, we’ve performed fetal cardiac exams on tens of thousands of pregnant women.
The fetal cardiology team works with staff members from:
- High-risk obstetrics
- Neonatology
- Reproductive genetics
- Ultrasound
Monthly, our team meets with doctors who are experts in:
- Brain and spine surgery.
- Pediatric surgery on infants and children.
- The nervous system, including the brain and spine.
- Urinary tract diseases.
Neonatal cardiology
Neonatal cardiology involves assessing and managing care for premature and full-term babies with heart defects.
Our neonatal heart program can diagnose and treat:
- Arrhythmias — Heart rhythm problems
- Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) – Heart conditions present at birth.
- Heart function problems in very sick newborns.
Our neonatal heart health experts work as a team with children's cardiologists and neonatologists in both critical care and research.
What Can I Expect from the Fetal and Perinatal Cardiology Program?
Fetal cardiology appointments are typically scheduled following a referral by your obstetrician. You can expect to meet with a pediatric heart doctor and their care team to discuss symptoms, risk factors, and expectations.
A pediatric cardiologist or specially trained sonographer will do a fetal echocardiogram to check your baby’s heart.
After the echocardiogram, you will meet with the heart doctor to discuss the results.
What is a fetal cardiologist?
If you're pregnant and your baby has or may have heart issues, a fetal cardiologist can assess and manage them.
They can assess and manage:
- CHDs.
- Heart abnormalities detected on an anatomy scan.
- Heart rate and rhythm issues.
Do I Need a Referral to the Fetal and Perinatal Cardiology Program?
We require a referral from your OB-GYN or a UPMC Children's specialist before your first visit. If you have a managed care plan, you may also need consent from your insurance provider.
