Rady Children’s Heart Institute provides a full array of services in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery and treats a wide range of congenital heart conditions in infants, children, and adults.
Congenital heart defects are problems in the heart’s structure that are present at birth. Approximately 1 in every 100 newborns has these defects, which can range from mild to severe.
The defects occur when there is incomplete or abnormal development of the fetus’ heart during the very early weeks of pregnancy. Some are known to be associated with genetic disorders, but the cause of most congenital heart defects is unknown. Although these can’t be prevented, many treatments are available for the defects as well as any related health problems.
Some congenital heart defects cause serious symptoms right at birth, requiring newborn intensive care in the hospital and immediate evaluation by a cardiologist. Other defects, like atrial septal defects, may go undiagnosed until the teen, or even adult, years. Learn more about congenital heart defects.
Our expert cardiac specialists treat the full range of pediatric cardiac conditions, as well as congenital and acquired heart disease in some adult patients. For information on conditions not listed, click here.
Conditions We Treat Include
- Aortic stenosis
- Anomalous pulmonary veins
- Arrhythmias
- Atrial septal defect
- Atrioventricular canal defect (AV Canal)
- Atrioventricular septal defect
- Cardiomyopathy
- Coarctation of the aorta
- Congestive heart failure
- Double inlet left ventricle
- Double outlet right ventricle
- Ebstein’s anomaly
- Endocarditis (Infective)
- Heart murmurs
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
- Hypoplastic or interrupted aortic arch
- Kawasaki disease
- Long QT syndrome
- Marfan syndrome
- Mitral valve abnormalities
- Myocarditis
- Patent ductus arteriosus
- Pericarditis
- Pulmonary atresia
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Rheumatic heart disease
- Single ventricle (all forms of functional single ventricle)
- Supraventricular tachycardia
- Swiss-cheese atrial septal defect (ASD)
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
- Transposition of the great arteries (D-type, L-type)
- Tricuspid atresia
- Truncus arteriosus, types I-IV
- Valve disease in children
- Vascular rings and slings
- Ventricular septal defect
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Our Specialized Services Include:
- Inpatient care: Cardiothoracic ICU (CTICU)
- Outpatient care
- Kawasaki Disease
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program
- Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program
- Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Clinic
- Cardiopulmonary Exercise Laboratory
- Cardiovascular imaging
- Diagnostic and interventional catheterization
- Electrophysiology (heart rhythm disorders and pacemakers)
- Fetal Cardiology Program
- Heart Transplant Center
- Home Monitoring Program
- Image-Guided Intervention Center
- Pulmonary Hypertension Program
- Single Ventricle Program
- Transitional Program