Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Diseases
Today, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital includes a team of internationally renowned pediatric congenital heart disease specialists and surgeons among its staff of more than 150 pediatricians and pediatric specialists.
According to the American Heart Association, about 40,000 children are born with heart defects in the United States each year. Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital's Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Diseases has an outstanding reputation for successfully handling the most complex cases of heart disease in children, and serves as a worldwide referral and second opinion center for patients of all ages with pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD).
Vast Experience and Excellent Outcomes
Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital pediatric heart surgeons, cardiologists and anesthesiologists are among the most highly trained and experienced in the world. In addition, our team consists of the referring physician, the patient's family, specially trained cardiac nurses, allied health professionals, social workers and child life specialists. In 2006, our Heart Center registered more than 13,700 outpatient visits.
For some instances of pediatric congenital heart disease in children, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital specialists may recommend medication. If intervention is needed, our pediatric cardiologists can repair certain heart defects in the cardiac catheterization laboratory using coils, stents and implantable devices. These defects may be repaired through small incisions in the groin, thus eliminating the need for open-heart surgery. In 2006, our cardiologists performed 418 heart-related catheterizations.
Our cardiac surgeons manage all forms of heart disease in children, including heart and heart/lung transplants not performed elsewhere, and routinely perform complex surgeries such as Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot Transposition of Great Arteries and The Norwood Procedure. Our success rates, including those for repairing heart defects in newborns, are excellent, and our complication and mortality rates are low. Click here for details about our outcomes on children.
Heart Failure/Transplantation Services
The center's heart failure/transplantation team assesses and treats children with heart failure. Alternatives to pediatric heart transplants, such as a mechanical heart, may offer lifesaving treatment or act as a bridge to heart transplantation.
Our center's heart transplantation success rate ranks higher than the national average. Additionally, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital's Pediatric Heart Transplant Program is one of only three centers worldwide that has performed over 1,000 transplants.
Lifetime Care for Children and Adults
Adults with complex congenital heart defects require expert care. Ours is one of the few heart centers in Ohio dedicated to the lifelong care of patients with congenital heart defects, including those over 18.
Each year, our heart center assesses more than 400 adults with congenital heart defects. Since 1993, we have performed more than 500 surgeries on adult patients with a mortality rate of 0.9%.
Leaders in Research and Innovation. Our Heart Center's cardiac surgeons developed and perfected the double-switch operation for complex transposition of the great arteries. Our cardiologists pioneered the research that led to the development of devices to close holes between the chambers of the heart. Our physician investigators are sponsored by corporate and government organizations with the goal of advancing treatment for patients with congenital heart defects.
The Value of a Multispecialty Heart Center
Because heart defects are relatively rare, it is crucial to choose a multispecialty medical center with a highly skilled and experienced medical team. At Cleveland Clinic, our physicians can diagnose heart disease in children and determine management strategies before they are even born. Complicated and high-risk pregnancies are expertly managed within our Level III perinatal center, and critically ill newborns receive the highest level of care available in our Level III neonatal intensive care unit.
Appointments
Call 216/445-5015 or 800/223-2273, ext. 55015, during regular business hours. After hours, call 216/444-KIDS (5437) or 800/223-2273, ext. 45437. Make an online appointment or if you are outside the United States, contact the Cleveland Clinic International Center at 216/444-6404 or mailto:icwebmail@ccf.org.
Pediatric Cardiology Team
Gerard Boyle, MD, Chair
216.444.3083
Janine Arruda, MD
Thomas Edwards, MD
Larry A. Latson, MD
Richard Lorber, MD
Tamar Preminger, MD
Lourdes R. Prieto, MD
Athar Qureshi, MD
Geoffrey Rosenthal, MD, PhD
Marcy Schwartz, MD
Richard Sterba, MD
Cheryl Malek, PNP
Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery
Constantine Mavroudis, MD, Chair
216.636.5288
Muhammad A. Mumtaz, MD
Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute has been ranked the #1 heart center in the United States by US News & World Report for 14 years. Meet our Heart and Vascular Institute staff and learn more about leading-edge technologies and treatments.
