Heart Center

St. Joseph's Children's Hospital is a pre-eminent center for the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired heart conditions in infants, children and teens. With the largest pediatric cardiovascular program in the state, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital is the regional referral source for pediatric heart surgery and for the diagnoses and treatment of congenital heart defects before and after birth. Families can take comfort in knowing that the success rate for the diagnosing and treatment of complex cardiac conditions exceeds that of larger well-known heart centers around the country. Some of the benefits of St. Joseph's Children's Hospital cardiac care are :

Pediatric Cardiology
Pediatric Cardiology at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital provides both non-invasive and invasive services as well as expert physician consultations.

Programs and services offered by our Cardiologists include:

Fetal and Pediatric Echocardiography - Accredited by ICAEL
Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiac Catheterization
Pacemaker Evaluation and Implantation
Electrophysiology Studies and Treatments
Holter and Event Monitoring
Stress Testing

Catheterization Laboratory
Our diagnostic and therapeutic Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory is designed especially for children. Using the latest interventional catheterization techniques, children are offered a less invasive alternative to surgery, with minimal discomfort and recovery time. These techniques include:

Coil Embolization
Balloon Valvotomy and Angioplasty
Stent Implantation
Radiofrequency Ablation
Pericardiocentesis
ASD Closure
EP Studies and Catheter Ablation

Echocardiology Laboratory
The cardiac non-invasive lab was granted accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL). The laboratory is one of the first of four pediatric echocardiography labs in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to be recognized for its commitment to high quality patient care and its provision of excellence in diagnostic testing for complex congenital heart disease. The department provides 24-hour a day service, with the latest state of the art ultrasound equipment.

Fetal Echocardiography
Our Fetal Echocardiography program is fully accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) and the only program in the Tampa Bay area to have this accreditation. Fetal Echocardiography is used to diagnose heart disease in the unborn baby. These ultrasound studies of the fetal heart can be performed on pregnant moms at high-risk for having a child with a heart defect. High-risk moms include those with diabetes, those who've already had a child with heart disease, or moms who need to take certain medications during pregnancy. We use these studies, beginning around the fourth month of gestation, to identify major heart problems that could require special care for the mother and fetus during the remainder of the pregnancy or at the time of delivery.

Because both the screening ultrasound examination and the in-depth fetal echocardiogram are vital for prenatal diagnoses and perinatal management, their evaluation and interpretation is key. At St. Joseph's Children's Hospital our expert Cardiologists and technicians in the field of fetal echocardiography are among the most experienced in the nation. They use state of the art diagnostic equipment, keen observation, knowledge of fetal cardiac abnormalities and experience to accurately diagnose and manage congenital heart disease in the fetal heart.

Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery
The pediatric cardiovascular surgical team at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital performs more than 350 cardiac surgical procedures a year to treat all types of congenital and acquired cardiac disorders.

Highlights of the program include:

One of the largest pediatric cardiovascular surgical volumes in the Southeastern United States
Nationally known as a comprehensive center for children with single ventricle heart disease specializing in simple and complex forms of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) & single ventricle heart disease
99% surgical survival (up to 30 days after surgery) and 96.4% long term survival
Cosmetic (bikini) incisions for female patients with congenital heart defects when minimally invasive techniques are not possible
Dedicated family-centered pediatric cardiac intensive care unit
Dedicated pediatric cardiovascular team

At St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, our cardiovascular team surgically manages all types of congenital and acquired cardiac defects including the primary repair and palliation of complex congenital heart defects in neonates. In addition, we have a special interest in the comprehensive care of patients with certain cardiac defects including:

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) & single ventricle heart disease
Transposition of the great arteries
Aortic valve and obstructive left heart lesion
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and TOF with pulmonary atresia (PA)
Mitral and tricuspid valve dysfunction
Adult congenital heart disease
Chest wall deformities
Tracheal Malformations

Areas of surgical specialization include:

Repair and palliation of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
Bi-directional Glenn shunt
Extra cardiac Fontan procedure with < 2% mortality
Ross procedure
Complex arterial switch
Double switch procedures
Ross/Kono arterial switch
Unifocialization of aortopulmonary artery collaterals (TOF with PA)
Complex mitral and tricuspid valve repair
Fontan Conversion
Nuss Procedure
Tracheal reconstruction and transplant

Cardiac Anesthesia
A specialized cardiac anesthesiology team ensures continuity of care for all pediatric cardiac patients, including children who require other types of surgery.

International Recognition
Through a partnership charitable with the International Rotary Club, children from throughout the world come to St. Joseph's Children's to receive life-saving cardiac care not available in their own country.

For more information about the program, call St. Joseph's Children's Hospital at (813) 554-8500.