Overview
Where world-leading pediatric heart expertise meets unmatched compassion – Minnesota’s top destination for children’s heart care.
The Pediatric Heart Center at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital brings help and hope to children with heart conditions. We’re Minnesota’s largest group of pediatric heart experts, and our comprehensive team of cardiologists, surgeons, nurses, and other specialists partner seamlessly with your child and family. We keep your child’s needs, goals, and dreams at the center of everything we do.
We know that a heart condition can mean years of ongoing care and management, which is why we offer a full spectrum of care and robust support programs for heart problems in patients of all ages, from before birth in our fetal cardiology program through childhood and adolescence into adulthood and beyond. Here, we treat the whole child – inside and out – now, and over a lifetime.
Through our academic partnership with the University of Minnesota, we advance new clinical trials and medical technology. This means your child may be able to get access to breakthrough care not available anywhere else. We’re also pioneers in pediatric heart surgery and transplantation, having performed the world’s first successful open-heart surgery using cross circulation in 1954. It’s just one in a long line of lifesaving “firsts” we’ve achieved in partnership with the University of Minnesota, including the state’s first successful pediatric heart transplant in 1981.
Today, that legacy continues in the outstanding care we provide for all types of pediatric heart disease, and the fact that our Heart Center has some of the best success rates of any pediatric heart program in the country.
Conditions
Please note: This is not a complete list of pediatric heart conditions we treat. We diagnose and treat many types of heart conditions, including very rare conditions. To inquire about a specific condition, or for more information, please call the Pediatric Heart Center at 612-273-0689.
Our OB/GYNs, family medicine doctors, certified nurse midwives, and staff put you and your family at the center of everything we do.
Our comprehensive Heart Center team keep your child's needs, dreams, and goals at the center of everything we do.
Why M Health Fairview
A decades-long legacy of heart transplantation
We’re leaders in heart transplantation and advanced cardiac therapies. We’ve been performing pediatric heart transplants since 1981. We currently perform 20-30 heart transplants each year for children and adults, putting our program among the top 15 percent in the United States.
Access to breakthrough academic care
M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital is the only dedicated children’s hospital in Minnesota affiliated with the University of Minnesota, which means our patients have access to leading-edge clinical trials and medical breakthroughs in devices, techniques, and technologies before they’re widely available.
Leading-edge technology to help your child
Our state-of-the-art capabilities include a dedicated hybrid cardiac catheterization lab, the site of lifesaving, minimally invasive transcatheter procedures that can reduce recovery time for patients, which means your child can get back to their everyday activities faster.
The brightest minds and biggest hearts in medicine
M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, where our Pediatric Heart Center is located, is the longest-running top-ranked children’s hospital in the Twin Cities. We combine comprehensive care, advanced medical minds, and caring hearts in a team approach with your child and your family at its center. Here, children and teens of all ages get right-sized care, compassion, and treatment. We never stop working to ensure we’re providing the best possible care, giving your child a strong start and an even stronger future.
A legacy of "firsts" in pediatric heart care
- World’s first successful open-heart surgery using hypothermia in 1952
- World’s first successful open-heart surgery using cross-circulation in 1954
- World’s first repair of a ventricular-septal defect, a hole in one of the heart’s chambers
- World’s first repair of tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect involving three or four malformations of the heart
- Minnesota’s oldest and most successful pediatric heart transplantation program
- First in Minnesota to implant a Berlin Heart EXCOR® pediatric ventricular-assist device, keeping the native heart beating while a child waits for a heart donor
- The only pediatric exercise physiology program in the state of Minnesota
- Minnesota’s longest-running pediatric preventive cardiology program
Heart Center Programs and Resources
Congenital Heart Disease and Cardiovascular Genetics
Our adult congenital heart disease and cardiovascular genetics program is designed to meet the growing needs of older teens and adult patients with congenital heart disease and genetic or acquired conditions. The program is home to both adult and pediatric cardiologists, a heart imaging specialist, and a genetic counselor.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
ECMO is a heart-and-lung bypass device that supports your child if their heart and lungs aren't able to work well enough on their own. It can give your child's heart or lungs time to rest and recover, or it can be used as a bridge to a mechanical support device while waiting for a heart transplant.
Fetal Cardiology
We're home to Minnesota's largest fetal cardiology program. Our team partners with families to diagnose congenital heart disease before birth, plan for a safe delivery, and provide life-saving treatment in the important moments after birth.
Pediatric Exercise Physiology Lab
Our teams commonly use exercise testing to investigate symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, and palpitations. It is also valuable for evaluating cardiac function in many of our congenital heart disease patients.
Pediatric Heart Transplant
M Health Fairview surgeons perform 20 to 30 heart transplants annually, which places our program among the top 15 percent in the United States. Our program is one of the longest running programs in the world and has a history of innovation. We performed the first heart transplant for a child in Minnesota in 1981.
Preventive Cardiology
This comprehensive preventive program aims to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in children using an integrated approach, including risk assessment for children and families, lifestyle consultations, clinical care, and opportunities to participate in clinical research studies. We believe that a family-oriented approach is essential for a successful outcome, and the entire family participates.
Frequently Asked Questions
We provide diagnosis and treatment for heart conditions starting before birth and continuing throughout a child’s life. This includes comprehensive care for the entire spectrum of congenital heart defects, rhythm problems, and acquired illnesses that can affect your child’s heart.
We offer leading-edge noninvasive procedures, complex surgical therapies, and multidisciplinary treatment through our team of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, critical care specialists, and experts at our award-winning children’s hospital.
We also offer a handful of unique wraparound services, including Minnesota’s only pediatric exercise physiology program and preventive cardiology program to ensure your child has access to everything your they need to live a healthy life.
Many insurance companies do require a referral to see a specialty provider such as those at the Pediatric Heart Center, but it depends on your health plan’s specific requirements. To find out, contact your health insurer using the “member services” phone number or website on your insurance card.
Yes. When it comes to your child’s heart, you want to make sure you’ve considered all treatment options and are confident in the advice of your child’s heart team. How do you know that the treatment plan your child’s doctor has developed is the best one for your child’s specific needs? One way to know for sure is to seek a second opinion from another physician. The experts at the Pediatric Heart Center are happy to review your child’s case and provide a second opinion on a proposed course of treatment.
Second opinions are a common practice in many kinds of specialty medical care, and almost all doctors welcome another doctor’s viewpoint. Second opinion consultations can help you feel confident that you’re getting the best possible treatment for your child’s condition, and they are covered by many health insurance plans, too. To find out how to get a second opinion, talk with your child’s doctor or care coordinator.
Our Child Family Life Services team partners with Heart Center patients and families to help them understand, navigate, and cope with their hospitalization, healthcare experiences, illness, and stressful life events. Our Child Family Life Services team’s main goal is to make each healthcare encounter a positive experience for patients and their family, so they are empowered moving forward.
Our Pediatric Heart Center is located within M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, which is designed to be a “home away from home” for our patients and features many amenities, special spaces, and events. Get to know our children’s hospital.
Unlike most other hospitals and health systems, academic health systems are connected to a university, and particularly to a medical school. This type of organization offers several benefits when it comes to pediatric heart care.
Academic health systems are often the first institutions to translate leading-edge clinical research into new breakthrough treatments for patients. In many cases, academic programs are large enough to support a wide range of pediatric heart specialists, including teams focused on rare conditions. They typically have invested in state-of-the-art equipment and are equipped with the latest medical techniques – leading to better outcomes for patients. These institutions are also the training grounds for the next generation of pediatric heart doctors through medical residence and subspecialty fellowship programs.
Awards and Recognition
Research and Innovation
Our Pediatric Heart Center team is currently conducting research studies on:
- Metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors related to obesity that increase the possibility of heart disease
- Insulin resistance, which happens when the body produces insulin but doesn’t use it properly, increasing the possibility of heart disease
- Cardiovascular risk factors
You can learn more about active clinical trials and register to participate using the University of Minnesota’s StudyFinder tool.
