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Pediatric Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery
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(407) 649-6907Enjoy comprehensive service and award-winning healthcare. Submit an appointment request today, and our staff will follow up with you in 24-48 business hours.
Nearly one percent of all babies born each year — approximately 40,000 children — come into the world with congenital (present at birth) heart defects. If doctors diagnose your baby with a congenital heart defect, specialists at The Heart Center at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children can help. We partner with experts at the Center for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies to provide the most complete care possible.
From conception to birth and beyond, The Heart Center provides comprehensive cardiac care throughout your child’s life. Our goal is that each baby receives the necessary treatment to live a long, healthy life.
You can trust in our expertise. We’re recognized as one of the top healthcare facilities for children with congenital heart defects:
Our team of dedicated, board-certified fetal cardiologists and sonographers bring years of experience to our Fetal Cardiac Program. Working closely with MFM specialists and Neonatologists at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer, we keep you and your family as the central focus of everything we do.
If your OB-GYN sees a concern on your ultrasound, you can be confident you’ll receive the top care with us. Your OB-GYN will refer you to the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine, where an MFM specialists will perform a detailed evaluation. If a cardiac issue is suspected, you will meet with a fetal cardiologist from The Heart Center who will help direct your care for the remainder of your pregnancy and beyond.
If your baby has a complex heart defect, you will continue your care at the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital Fetal Care Center, part of the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine. You will receive regular ultrasounds and monitoring from MFM providers who specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions affecting unborn babies. Your multidisciplinary team will ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.
In some cases, we begin treatment before birth. If your baby is diagnosed with a fetal dysrhythmia, or abnormal heartbeat, we partner with the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine to begin treatment, including the administration of certain medications, while your baby is still in the womb. This treatment occurs at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer, the same hospital where you’ll give birth.
Orlando Health Winnie Palmer promotes bonding with your baby immediately after birth through skin-to-skin contact. Bonding with your baby is even more critical for infants born with congenital heart defects. The Heart Center, in partnership with Orlando Health Winnie Palmer, has developed safe protocols to allow and promote mother-baby bonding immediately after birth, even if your baby is diagnosed with a complex heart defect.
Immediate skin-to-skin contact with your infant promotes attachment. Successful bonding is especially important for infants in our Fetal Cardiac Program, since it:
Successful bonding is also important for parents. Just knowing you’ll be able to hold your newborn can dramatically decrease any stress or anxiety you may feel. And if your baby needs heart surgery very soon after birth, this bonding process can help increase the likelihood of better outcomes.
If doctors determine your baby is at particularly high risk, complex interventions or surgeries will be coordinated prior to delivery and will be made available at the time of birth. A multidisciplinary team of pediatric specialists, including cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiac interventionists, OB-GYNs and neonatologists will help ensure a safe delivery for you and your baby.
Located at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, and connected to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer by sky-bridge, our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is the most advanced NICU in the nation for premature newborns and babies born with complex concerns. We also have a state-of-the-art pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit (PCICU) dedicated exclusively to providing pediatric and congenital heart care.
Dedicated pediatric specialists at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer, such as gastroenterologists, neurologists, hematologists, urologists, nephrologists, geneticists and more, are available to provide care if needed. We also offer complex care management and palliative care for babies born with serious health issues. Up to 40 percent of babies born with heart defects also have problems in other body systems, making a collaborative approach to care vital for their growth and development.
In addition to our other fetal cardiac program services, we also offer:
Each family’s needs are different. Other Orlando Health and community resources may be of some assistance to you.
For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please call (407) 649-6907.