As a result of key advances in prenatal care and imaging, many heart problems are detected during pregnancy. If your child has been diagnosed with congenital heart disease, the Fetal Cardiology Program and Maternal Fetal Care Center team has the expertise and experience to help you through this difficult time. When you come to Boston Children’s, you will be seen by a team of cardiologists, nurses, and other specialists who have experience with the many problems that can affect infants before birth and who understand how this can impact your whole family.
From the moment you step into our clinic to the day of delivery, we’ll do everything we can to make sure that you and your baby receive the best possible care.
Fetal Cardiology Program services
Our services include:
- expert evaluation and diagnosis of fetal heart defects
- explanation of and counseling about treatment options
- careful planning for your baby’s delivery
- fetal heart therapies
- a wealth of support services to help you and your family before and after your baby’s delivery
Why the Fetal Cardiology Program?
At Boston Children’s, our treatment is informed by our research. This means that your baby is supported by our cardiovascular researchers, who are intensely focused on improving our understanding and treatment of heart defects and disorders that affect unborn infants and children after birth. Our clinical and basic scientists work together to quickly move discoveries to the bedside so you have access to the most advanced care possible.
In 2001, cardiologists at Boston Children’s performed the first successful fetal cardiac intervention in the country. We have now performed more than 185 fetal cardiac interventions.
Our team cares for your infant before birth and throughout his or her entire life, with one primary cardiologist managing each child’s treatment. We achieve superior outcomes, even in the most complex cases. Survival of the newborn is our primary goal, but our overall objective is to help each infant become a child with a normal physiology who can look forward to a long, healthy life ahead.
An expectant parent’s guide to HLHS and other single ventricle defects
It’s sometimes difficult to remember every detail of a fetal cardiology consult, so we’ve prepared everything you need to know in “An Expectant Parent’s Guide to Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and Other Single Ventricle Defects” — written by our Fetal Cardiology coordinator, Terra Lafranchi, NP-C, and available in English and Spanish.
