When it comes to problems with your child’s heart, an early and accurate diagnosis is the first and most important step toward ensuring he or she receives the most appropriate and effective care. NewYork-Presbyterian provides expert diagnostic services for children of all ages with congenital heart disease and other medical problems that may affect the heart. A combined program of the pediatric centers of NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital, our team of Columbia University and Weill Cornel Medicine physicians is renowned for excellence in pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery. We are committed to providing our patients with the safest, most advanced diagnostic tools to get to the root cause of your child’s heart problem to extend survival and quality of life.
About Our Program
Exceptional Experience in Noninvasive Cardiology Procedures
Our pediatric noninvasive cardiologists have fellowship training in advanced imaging modalities to assess heart function and anatomy in children. Working with pediatric cardiologists and other heart specialists, they apply their knowledge and the most innovative, state-of-the-art technologies to diagnose heart disorders in fetuses, neonates, children, and young adults. At NewYork-Presbyterian, we perform thousands of echocardiograms (including three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography), electrocardiograms, imaging exams, and other tests of heart function and anatomy. Our areas of expertise include the diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease, advanced myocardial function analysis, guidance of interventional procedures, heart monitoring during surgery, and computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart. Our heart specialists are experts at interpreting the results of these tests to make an accurate diagnosis for your child.
Conditions We Evaluate
- Acquired heart disease
- Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and palpitations
- Cardiomyopathy
- Chest pain
- Congenital heart disease
- Heart failure
- Heart murmurs
- Kawasaki disease
- Marfan syndrome
- Myocardial dysfunction
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Syncope (fainting)
Our Approach to Care
Multidisciplinary and Collaborative Care
At NewYork-Presbyterian, our pediatric noninvasive cardiologists play a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of children with heart conditions. Using the latest state-of-the-art imaging technologies to assess even the rarest and most complex heart disorders, they share their findings and collaborate with our renowned pediatric cardiology team that includes pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiac surgeons, pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric electrophysiologists, and pediatric cardiac nurses to provide your child with the safest, most advanced treatment available.
Expedient Testing
Many non-invasive cardiology tests can be performed on the same day as your visit. Test results will be reviewed with you, and your cardiologists are available to answer questions during your visit. Sometimes, further testing will be provided (such as 24 hour Holter monitoring), or a return visit may be needed for additional tests (such as exercise testing). Following the visit, our physicians remain available to you by phone for discussion regarding final testing results and/or ongoing symptoms.
Thoughtful and Compassionate Care
We care for your child promptly, thoroughly, and with the thoughtfulness and compassion that you and your child deserve. As a parent or caregiver, we consider you to be part of your child's team. We encourage you to ask any questions you may have and let us know how we can support you and your family during this experience.
Noninvasive Cardiology Procedures
Our experienced cardiologists perform a wide range of advanced cardiac imaging and functional assessment procedures in children, including:
Echocardiograms (including 3D echocardiography) to diagnose a heart defect
Fetal echocardiography to detect a heart defect during pregnancy and monitor the health of the child throughout pregnancy
Noninvasive electrophysiology studies, including electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), 24-hour Holter monitoring, event recorders, and stress testing, to detect abnormal heart rhythms, heart palpitations, and syncope
Imaging studies, including X-ray, CT scan, and MRI, to show detailed images of the heart
Pediatric exercise testing to assess the function and interaction of your child's heart, lungs, and muscles at rest and during intense exercise. We offer the following types of pediatric exercise testing:
- Cardiovascular stress test, performed on a treadmill, with a complete ECG or EKG, which measures your child's heart rate and rhythm and blood pressure changes.
- Cardiopulmonary exercise test or progressive exercise test performed on a treadmill or stationary bike, which measures how well your child's heart and lungs work while exercising.
- Exercise-induced asthma challenge measures lung function before and after exercise. It helps the doctor determine if your child has exercise-induced asthma.
- Six-minute walk test performed to find out how far your child can walk for six minutes, and how his or her heart rate and oxygen levels respond to exercise.
Why choose us
Specialized Center for Echocardiography
NewYork-Presbyterian is nationally accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) for providing exceptional fetal and transthoracic echocardiography according to national standards.
Dedicated Programs for Fetal Echocardiography
Many congenital heart defects are found during pregnancy. Our children's hospitals are renowned for the expert performance of fetal echocardiography to diagnose congenital heart disease early during pregnancy, allowing you to plan your child's heart care before delivery and to know what your child will need after he or she is born.
If your unborn child is found to have a heart defect, we have special programs to provide monitoring of your child throughout your pregnancy, and we can link you with the specialists you need to customize a plan of care for your baby after delivery.
The Latest and Safest Evidence-Based Technologies
At NewYork-Presbyterian, we are continually committed to incorporating the latest and safest evidence-based technologies into patient care. These include:
- Cardiac CT imaging with very low radiation to detect coronary artery anomalies in infants and young children with congenital heart disease (CHD).
- 3D printed heart models to see heart structures and plan surgery and placement of ventricular assist devices (VAD) in children with complex heart conditions.
- Small wearable and implantable cardiac monitor devices that provide long-term, wireless recording of the heart’s electrical activity.
Dedicated Pediatric Exercise Laboratory
NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital has one of the few dedicated pediatric cardiopulmonary exercise laboratories in the New York metropolitan area. We use exercise testing to study the function and interaction of your child's heart, lungs, and muscles at rest and during intense exercise. These tests may help identify the cause of chest pain, evaluate heart and lung fitness, assess heart function after surgery, detect arrhythmias, monitor drug effectiveness, or determine whether it is safe for your child to participate in regular physical activities.
Propelling Innovation in 3D Imaging Technology
NewYork-Presbyterian’s imaging experts are increasingly using 3D imaging technology —including 3D printing—to create unique patient-specific models for guidance before catheter-based or surgical interventions for pediatric patients with congenital heart disease and heart failure. In 2020, we expanded the use of this technology to create 3D models for prenatal counseling, aiming to improve parental understanding of their child’s congenital heart defects. Our imaging experts are involved in studies that explore the utility of 3D printed models for preoperative planning of heart surgery and ventricular assist device (VAD) placement in patients with congenital heart disease and heart failure.
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