Pediatric Cardiology

Initial exam, tests, and services

The initial exam usually involves a discussion about symptoms, and then we may perform certain tests depending on what we find. Some common tests that can be performed:

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses simple sound waves to take a picture of the heart. This tests looks at the size and shape of the heart, how it moves, how well it is pumping, and it also gives us a good picture of heart valves or any tumors or growths. The test takes no special preparation, and parents are encouraged to sit with their children during the test, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. The room is usually dark and relaxing.

Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram, commonly known as an EKG or ECG, measures the electrical activity of the heart using stickers that attach to your child’s chest. These stickers help our caregivers better understand heart rhythms. Parents are always present and allowed to soothe and encourage their child. The electrocardiogram is pain free, and no electricity goes into the child’s body.

Stress Test

An exercise stress test measures the effect of exercise on your child’s heart. A technician will place 10 flat, sticky patches called electrodes on your child’s chest. These patches are attached to an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor that follows the electrical activity of the heart during the test, which takes about 60 minutes.

Patients will walk on a treadmill or pedal on an exercise bicycle. Slowly (about every 3 minutes), patients will walk (or pedal) faster and on an incline or with more resistance. It is like walking fast or jogging up a hill.

List of Diseases Treated

  • Afib
  • Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery
  • Aortic aneurysm – Marfan
  • Aortic arch anomaly
  • Aortic regurgitation
  • Aortic valve stenosis
  • Aortopulmonary window
  • Arrhythmia – PSVT
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Atrial myxoma
  • Atrial septal defect (ASD)
  • Atrioventricular septal defect
  • AV Block
  • Balloon valvuloplasty – pulmonary
  • Bicuspid aortic valve
  • BPD
  • Bradycardia
  • Brief resolved unexplained event – BRUE
  • Cardiac tamponade
  • Cardiomyopathy – children
  • Cherry angioma
  • Chest pain – costochondritis
  • Chronic lung disease – children
  • Coarctation of the aorta
  • Congenital absence of the pulmonary valve
  • Coronary artery fistula
  • Costochondritis
  • Cyanotic heart disease
  • Dehydration
  • Dextrocardia
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy
  • Dizziness
  • DORV with subaortic VSD
  • Double aortic arch
  • Double inlet left ventricle
  • Double outlet right ventricle
  • Duchenne muscular dystrophy
  • Dyslipidemia – children
  • Ebstein’s anomaly
  • Ectopic heartbeat
  • Edwards syndrome
  • Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
  • Eisenmenger syndrome
  • Endocardial cushion defect
  • Endocarditis – children
  • Failure to thrive
  • Familial hypercholesterolemia
  • Heart failure in children – overview
  • Hemangioma
  • Hydrops fetalis
  • Hyperlipidemia – children
  • Hypertension – children
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
  • Infant of diabetic mother
  • Infective endocarditis – children
  • Insulin resistance syndrome
  • Kawasaki disease
  • Keloid scar
  • Laryngeal nerve damage
  • Lipid disorders – children
  • Marfan syndrome
  • Mitral stenosis
  • Mitral valve prolapse
  • Mitral valve regurgitation
  • Mobitz type 1
  • Mobitz type II
  • Muscular dystrophy – Duchenne type
  • Myocarditis – pediatric
  • Myxomatous mitral valve
  • Neurofibromatosis 2
  • Neurofibromatosis-1
  • Noonan syndrome
  • Patent foramen ovale
  • Patent ductus arteriosus
  • Pericarditis
  • Pleural effusion
  • Pleuritic chest pain
  • Postcardiotomy pericarditis
  • Preexcitation syndrome
  • Premature atrial contraction
  • Premature supraventricular contractions
  • Primary cardiomyopathy
  • Primum ASD
  • Pulmonary arterial hypertension
  • Pulmonary atresia
  • Pulmonary atresia – intact ventricular septum
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Pulmonary valve stenosis
  • PVC (premature ventricular complex/contraction)
  • Rapid heart rate – PSVT
  • Rapid heartbeat – WPW
  • Restrictive cardiomyopathy
  • Right aortic arch with aberrant subclavian and left ligamentum
  • Right aortic arch with aberrant subclavian and left ligamentum ateriosus
  • Right-sided heart failure
  • Right-to-left cardiac shunt
  • Secondary pulmonary hypertension
  • Secundum ASD
  • Single ventricle
  • Slow heart rate – sick sinus
  • Staphylococcus aureus – endocarditis – children
  • Stenosis – pulmonary valve
  • Streptococcus – rheumatic fever
  • Sudden cardiac arrest, SCA
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Systolic click-murmur syndrome
  • Tachycardia
  • Tamponade
  • Taussig-Bing anomaly
  • Tetralogy of Fallot
  • Third-degree heart block
  • Thoracic aortic aneurysm
  • Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
  • Transposition of the great arteries
  • Tricuspid atresia
  • Tricuspid regurgitation
  • Trisomy 13
  • Trisomy 18
  • Trisomy 21
  • Truncus arteriosus
  • Tuberous sclerosis
  • Turner syndrome
  • Understanding cholesterol results
  • Valvular aortic stenosis
  • Valvular disease – bicuspid aortic valve
  • Valvular mitral regurgitation
  • Valvular mitral stenosis
  • Vascular ring
  • Ventricular fibrillation
  • VSD Ventricular septal defect
  • Valve infection – children
  • Valve disorder – tricuspid atresia
  • Valve – disorder pulmonary atresia
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW)
  • Williams syndrome
  • Wide-complex tachycardia
  • Wenckebach’s block

Here is a complete list of tests: