Cardiology (Heart) Care

Cardiology Outpatient Program

Cardiology & Fetal Heart Program

Family Centered Care Approach My Child Has A Congenital Heart Defect Prepare Your Child For a Heart Cath My Child Needs Heart Surgery Keep Your Child’s Heart Healthy Risk Factors For Childhood Heart Disease Getting to the Cardiac Center Classes

Peds Cardiology Medical Director Refer a Patient

Cardiology (Heart) Care

Michele always dreamed her children would all have many qualities in common –like their beautiful brown eyes. But little did she know that they would also all share the same medical condition that would require them to have complex surgery on their hearts.

Alaina, 12, Bronson, 10, and Luke, 6, were all born with Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). ASD is a genetic condition that leaves a hole between the heart’s two upper chambers, their mother, Michele, also has ASD. The family initially found out Alaina had ASD when she was taken to the doctor for a small heart murmur. It was then that doctors discovered she had a hole in her heart. As a precautionary measure, doctors encouraged Michele to have Bronson and Luke get echocardiograms as well, even though they didn’t have signs of heart murmurs. Holes were discovered in both of their hearts.

All three children had surgery to fix the holes in their heart performed at Miller Children’s. Michele chose Miller Children’s because she knew a children’s hospital is what she needed to have pediatric experts and to get specialized care for her children’s young hearts. Alaina had the hole in her heart closed by open heart surgery, while Bronson had a transcatheter closure, a procedure that uses a catheter to close the hole which results in faster recovery time and less scaring. In June of last year, Luke also had the hole in his heart closed through open heart surgery.

“It was important that the children had the holes in their hearts fixed. If left untreated, they could have experienced exercise intolerance, possible abnormal heart rhythms and possible irreversible damage to blood vessels in the lungs later in life,” says Christopher Tan, M.D., pediatric cardiologist, Miller Children’s. Preventative care is especially important with heart health and Michele knew that it would improve her children’s chances of being healthy adults by preventing future heart problems.

Alaina, Bronson and Luke’s parents were very pleased with the care their children received while in the hospital and with how well Miller Children’s addressed not only their children’s special health care needs, but also the family’s concerns.

“Miller Children’s offers unique care, just for kids, and the care team knows how to not only treat children but their parents as well,” says Michele. “I never felt nervous or embarrassed for asking questions because the care team was so comforting and really helped me through each surgery.”

Today, thanks to the specialized care at Miller Children’s, the holes in their hearts have been repaired and there is no longer a need for further treatment. However, Miller Children’s will always hold a special place in their hearts as they excel in their active and rewarding lives.

The pediatric cardiac center at Miller Children’s Hospital provides total prenatal, infant, pediatric and young adult heart care for patients with congenital or acquired heart disease or who have a family history of heart problems. These heart problems include children who are born with holes in the heart, abnormal heart valves, abnormal blood vessels and small or underdeveloped chambers of the heart. The pediatric cardiac center also has treatment and preventative care plans for heart problems that develop later in childhood such as chest pain, fainting, palpitations, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.

The pediatric cardiac care team diagnoses pediatric heart disease using non-invasive or minimally invasive tests and procedures, such as electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, exercise stress test, 24-hour holter monitor and heart catheterization. Leading treatment plans for pediatric heart disease, include minimally invasive cardiac catheterization along with medication to manage a child’s heart condition.

For children with heart disease that require cardiac surgery, the pediatric cardiac care team works closely with surgeons from the start of the procedure, follows the patient through discharge from the hospital, and into post-operative follow-up care at the Pediatric Cardiology CCS Center in Long Beach or Torrance.

Miller Children’s Stands Apart:

The pediatric cardiac center can diagnose and treat children of all ages from as early as in the womb when detected during pregnancy to young adults with congenital heart disease.
As part of the comprehensive cardiology care offered, Miller Children’s has a California Children’s Services (CCS) approved Cardiology Special Care Center for outpatient and follow-up care complete with a multi-disciplinary care team.
The pediatric cardiac center offers minimally invasive interventions to treat pediatric heart disease, such as interventional cardiac catheterization and the robotic heart surgery (da Vinci® S. Surgical System) in cardiac surgery.