Cardiology

The Heart Center for Children provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment of infants, children, adolescents and young adults with congenital or acquired heart disease and a variety of other cardiac conditions at St. Christopher’s Hospital and a network of specialty care centers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Older patients with congenital heart disease are also followed and managed collaboratively with adult cardiologists. The Center also offers fetal ultrasounds for possible fetal heart disease. The Section of Cardiology and the Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery work collaboratively with other interdisciplinary teams to assure quality individualized care for children with cardiac conditions.

Cardiology
Outpatient cardiology services are provided with the support of a multidisciplinary team of nurse practitioners, nurses, medical assistants, registrars, the practice coordinator, social worker and the receptionist. The Heart Center performs diagnostic consultations and follow-up care for children with heart disease and other cardiovascular concerns.

Diagnostic services are provided for patients with cardiac dysrhythmias, congenital cardiovascular malformations, acquired heart disease, hyperlipidemia and systemic hypertension.

Some of the major conditions and diagnoses treated include: 

• Atrial and ventricular septal defects
• Pulmonic and aortic valve diseases
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Patent ductus arteriosus
• Supraventricular tachycardia
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
• Cardiomyopathy
• Atrioventricular canal defects
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Transposition of the great arteries

Specialty clinics provide focused services for fetal echocardiography and for patients with implantable devices including pacemakers, defibrillators and loop monitors.

Based on clinical need and following examination, patients are referred for non-invasive diagnostic services such as an electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram, exercise stress test, Holter monitor or a tilt test.

In some cases more invasive procedures such as cardiac catheterization or cardiac surgery are recommended.

• Nonsurgical correction of certain cardiovascular malformations is provided by experts in interventional cardiology.
• Surgical correction of pediatric cardiovascular diseases and complex cardiovascular malformations of newborns and children is provided by a team of pediatric surgeons with expertise in pediatric cardiovascular surgery.

The Heart Center is located on the first floor south in the ACP Building. It is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with 24-hour, seven-day-a-week coverage for emergencies.

Phone numbers
Cardiology: (215) 427-4820
Cardiothoracic Surgery: (215) 427-5109
Fax: (215) 427-8960

Locations

Meet the Team

St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia has a highly qualified team of board-certified experts who are specially trained to work with the individual and unique needs of infants and pediatric patients.

Our team is led by Shuping Ge, MD, Chief of Cardiology and Achintya Moulick MD, MS, MCh, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Physicians

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