Children’s Heart Institute

Latest in Cardiac Imaging

We have a suite of five cardiac catheterization laboratories that include the latest technologies for diagnosing and treating various heart conditions.

Surgical Care for all Hearts

For patients who require surgery, our Pediatric & Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery Program offers advanced surgical techniques that treat virtually any congenital heart defect.

Dedicated Cardiac Intensive Care

We are proud to have one of the region’s only dedicated pediatric Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Units.

Hudson's Story

When Hudson turned 2-months-old, he suddenly began to lose weight and became very skinny. It was determined that Hudson was going into heart failure and would require an open-heart surgery.

Our Children’s Heart Institute provides total prenatal, infant, pediatric and young adult heart care for patients with congenital or acquired heart disease, patients who have a family history of heart problems, or kids and teens who are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect later in life.

We diagnose pediatric heart disease using non-invasive or minimally invasive tests and procedures, such as electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, exercise stress tests, 24-hour holter monitors and heart catheterization s.

We have a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratory, which includes bi-plane imaging, instead of traditional single-plane imaging. Bi-plane imaging uses X-ray technology to take pictures of a patient with two cameras, instead of one. This enhances a doctor’s vision to see the smallest blood vessels – which is especially important for infants and kids with such tiny hearts.

Biplane imaging cameras take detailed x-rays during a minimally invasive procedure, such as an angiography, that are shown in real time on a monitor just a few feet from where doctors can watch and determine what treatment should be provided based on the pictures.

For children with heart disease that require cardiac surgery, our 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 Cardiology Center in Long Beach. There also is a satellite center in Torrance for cardiology care for South Bay residents and a satellite center in Irvine for Orange County residents, along with the Healthy Kids Program.

Infants or children who need to stay in the hospital are cared for in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) located in the Cherese Mari Laulhere Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. A team of specialty trained doctors, nurses, respiratory care practitioners and other team members provide the highly specialized cardiac care that children with heart issues need.