Pediatric Cardiology

Our Approach to Pediatric Heart Care

Riley at IU Health Pediatric Cardiology brings an extraordinary set of people and resources to diagnosing and treating children and adults with congenital heart defects and acquired heart disease. Our pediatric cardiologists offer a wide range of heart expertise, and Riley at IU Health gives you multiple ways to access their care. Our pediatric cardiologists are Indiana’s leading resource for the treatment of congenital heart disease for many reasons, including:

• Convenient Access. Our pediatric cardiologists attend multiple outpatient locations across Indiana to help detect congenital heart problems in patients who have their first symptoms later in life rather than at birth. These locations offer routine follow-up care for children and adults with heart defects.
• Multidisciplinary Knowledge. Children born with complex heart anatomy or multiple health conditions are supported by a multidisciplinary team of pediatric surgeons, cardiologists and subspecialists at Riley at IU Health. We often work together to plan a series of carefully orchestrated steps performed over time. Interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons work side by side on a single patient, performing complicated procedures in hybrid operating rooms designed to handle the most complex procedures.
• Preventative Specialists. Dedicated pediatric cardiologists provide preventative care for patients with conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and hyperlipidemia.
• Coordinated Care for Lung and Heart Disease. Pediatric cardiologists and pulmonologists partner to serve patients with pulmonary hypertension, which often demands strategic care of the lungs and heart.
• Complete Diagnostic Resources. The Riley Heart Center performs all types of imaging diagnostics such as fetal echocardiograms, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms, cardiac catheterizations, cardiac computed tomography (CT) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We also perform electrocardiograms (ECGs), comprehensive exercise stress tests and pacemaker/defibrillator interrogations. Our heart subspecialists carefully deploy these tools by choosing the best diagnostic option for each patient.
• Genetic Counseling for Inherited Heart Disease. Nationally recognized specialists in cardiovascular genetics help diagnose inherited heart conditions, such as structural abnormalities, cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias. Patients are paired with the right specialist for their heart defect. Through genetic counseling, Riley at IU Health also offers useful knowledge for family planning and other needs that accompany inherited heart disease.
• Early Diagnosis for Unborn Children. Our pediatric cardiologists collaborate with Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists at Riley at IU Health to diagnose possible heart defects when a prenatal ultrasound suggests a heart problem. Together, we can meticulously plan a mother’s delivery and provide immediate care at birth for her baby’s congenital heart defect.
• Customized Solutions. Pediatric cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeons and interventional cardiologists at the Riley Heart Center work together to plan unique care for one-of-a-kind heart problems. We use a combination of innovative techniques and medical devices to improve the function of an abnormal heart.
• Heart-transplant Expertise. As one of the nation’s few certified heart centers for transplants, we care for the most vulnerable patients, including those who need intravenous medicine to improve heart function, mechanical support of one ventricle or total artificial hearts to sustain them while they await a transplant.
• Philanthropic Care. While Riley at IU Health cares for children from every county in Indiana, Hoosiers are not the only children who benefit from our expertise. Riley at IU Health partners with community, national and international agencies to provide unparalleled care to kids who need it most, including those who may not be able to receive or afford that level of care close to home. As a partner in the Rotary Service Club's Gift of Life program, Riley Heart Center pediatric cardiologists and surgeons provide treatment to children from as far away as Jordan, Russia, China, Nigeria, Honduras and Afghanistan.

Riley Children's Health Pediatric Cardiology brings the best minds together from all subspecialties to provide your child or family member with optimal care.