Pediatric Cardiology

Heart disease in children occurs in two forms: congenital and acquired. Congenital heart disease (also known as a congenital heart defect) is present at birth. Defects in this category include patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD). About 40,000 children are born with a heart defect each year.

Acquired heart disease, which develops sometime during childhood, includes diseases such as Kawasaki disease, rheumatic fever and infective endocarditis. Kawasaki disease primarily occurs in children who are five years old or younger. Although the cause of the disease is unknown, there are effective treatments to prevent long term damage to the heart.

Sanger Heart &Vascular Institute performs more operations and catheterizations for congenital heart disease than any other institution in North Carolina. Closed and open corrective operations are performed in the smallest of neonates with results that match or exceed many of the largest congenital heart centers in the world. It is our belief that earlier correction will offer improved long-term outcome and survival. Therapeutic cardiac catheterization is a special type of minimally invasive procedure which largely replaces the need for operative repair.

Sanger Heart &Vascular Institute employs a diverse team of pediatric cardiologists, each active in their own subspecialty. The team includes pediatric cardiologists, surgeons and nurse practitioners who take a team approach to the treatment of congenital heart disease. In addition to treatment of children with congenital heart disease, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute is extremely active in the treatment and follow-up of the adults with congenital heart disease. This service is the oldest and most established clinic of its kind in North Carolina.