Fetal Heart Center
When you welcome a new baby to your family, you want everything to go smoothly for a healthy pregnancy and childbirth. We offer exceptional prenatal and newborn heart care to help your baby get a healthy start in life.
Congenital Heart Defects
Congenital heart defects (CHD) are heart conditions present prenatally and often require treatment immediately after birth. Our fetal cardiologists at University Children’s Fetal Heart Center specialize in the early detection of congenital heart defects, evaluation and management of congenital heart defects before your baby is born and specialized heart care after your baby is born.
Your family and obstetrician can trust our team for expert diagnosis and treatment for any congenital heart defect or fetal heart problem, such as fetal arrhythmias.
Fetal Heart Conditions We Treat
Fetal Conditions
- Fetal cardiac abnormality suspected on obstetric ultrasound
- Incomplete fetal heart views
- Major fetal extracardiac abnormality. Examples – diaphragmatic hernia, renal dysplasia, multiple extracardiac abnormalities
- Abnormal fetal cardiac rhythm
- Fetal hydrops or effusions
- Fetal karyotype abnormality
- Fetal increased NT >3 mm or above the 99th percentile for the gestational age/cystic hygroma
- Monochorionic twins
- Congenital heart disease in first degree relative of fetus (maternal, paternal or sibling with CHD)
- First or second degree relative with disorder with Mendelian inheritance with CHD association. Examples – Chromosome 22q11 microdeletion (DiGeorge Syndrome/Velocardiofacial Syndrome), Tuberous Sclerosis, Noonan Syndrome
Maternal Conditions
- Pre-gestational diabetes mellitus
- Gestational diabetes diagnosed in the first trimester
- Assisted reproductive technology/IVF
- Autoimmune disease with positive Anti-Ro/SSA; Anti-La/SSB – Recommend initial fetal echocardiogram between 16-17 weeks gestation
- Phenylketonuria (uncontrolled)
- Drug/Medication Exposure – ACE inhibitors, retinoic acid, paroxetine, carbamazepine, lithium
- NSAIDS in third trimester
- Maternal first-trimester rubella infection
- Maternal infection with suspicion of fetal myocarditis
Physician Referrals to the Fetal Heart Center
Physicians can be confident knowing that patients referred to University Children’s Fetal Heart Center will receive the best possible care.
To refer a patient or for questions, please call our office at 210-450-7334.
Prenatal Care at University Health
If your unborn baby is diagnosed with a heart defect, we will work closely with your obstetrician and coordinate care with our specialized team to provide the safest delivery for your baby.
In some cases, we may recommend delivering your baby at the University Health Women's & Children's Hospital where we specialize in neonatal cardiac care, have congenital heart surgeons on call 24/7 and can quickly transition to our dedicated Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Unit.
