Pediatric Cardiology

Trust Your Child's Heart To Catholic Health

Catholic Health's pediatric cardiology services offer comprehensive care for acquired and congenital heart conditions, as well as electrical disorders of the heart, in infants, children and adolescents.

We are home to Long Island's most awarded heart program at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center (Roslyn, NY) and its well-established program at St. Francis Heart Center at Good Samaritan University Hospital (West Islip, NY).

Our team includes board-certified pediatric cardiologists and pediatricians and registered pediatric nurses who specialize in treating the unique health care needs of children. Our board-certified pediatric surgeons are experts in minimally invasive cardiac procedures. At Good Samaritan Hospital, child life specialists help children and their parents cope with the hospital experience.

With this level of clinical excellence, combined with our compassionate and personalized care, you can be confident your child will receive the best in pediatric cardiology services from diagnosis to treatment.

Dedicated Pediatric Cardiology Team

At St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center, expert cardiologists use the latest technologies to correct congenital heart defects that previously required open-heart surgery. Non-surgical catheter-based techniques can achieve a permanent cure in children with congenital defects. The hospital specializes in repairing holes in the heart:

Atrial septal defect (ASD)—birth defect that causes a hole in the wall between the heart's two upper chambers
Patent foramen ovale (PFO)—hole between the left and right two upper chambers of the heart that did not close naturally after a baby is born

At the St. Francis Heart Center at Good Samaritan University Hospital, percutaneous closure of the PFO is performed by expert cardiologists in conjunction with St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center®. This highly skilled team evaluates the evidence for PFO closure, discusses which patients should be considered for this treatment, and reviews how the procedure should be undertaken.

Advanced Cardiac Diagnosis & Treatments

Diagnostic Tools

Catholic Health pediatric cardiologists use the latest and most advanced diagnostic tools, including:

Echocardiograms—ultrasound shows how the heart’s chambers and valves are pumping blood through a heart
Electrocardiograms (EKG)—measures the electrical signals of the heart
Holter monitoring—a wearable device that records the electrical activity of the heart over 24 hours
Stress tests—also called an exercise stress test, shows how the heart works with physical activity
Fetal echocardiography (available at Good Samaritan Hospital)—permits the diagnosis of abnormal hearts in fetuses before birth

Transcatheter Closure for Holes in the Heart

This procedure offers the benefits of heart repair without surgery. Through a small tube called a catheter our specially trained cardiologists implant a closure device into the hole. The device is attached to a catheter and moved to the heart through a needle hole in the vein of the leg. Within four to six months, the heart's normal smooth lining covers the device completely, effectively becoming a permanent part of the heart wall.

Stent Insertion for Congenital Heart Disease

A stent is an expandable wire mesh sleeve inserted to prop open a narrowing in the heart's arteries. Most aortic stents are inserted as a follow-up to angioplasty, in which the narrowed artery is opened by inflating a balloon. The balloon and stent are delivered to the heart area via a long tube inserted in a blood vessel in the thigh.

Valvuloplasty for Congenital Heart Disease

Valvuloplasty is used to widen a narrowed or stiff heart valve. A catheter is inserted through a blood vessel in the arm or groin then guided through the heart to the faulty valve. Balloons on the catheter are inflated, enlarging the opening to the valve. This improves blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body.

Cardiac Arrhythmia Ablation in Children

Catheter ablation is a way of treating serious arrhythmias, which are abnormal rhythms of the heart. A pediatric cardiologist inserts a catheter into the heart to find out where the arrhythmia originates. A device then delivers heat or cold energy to the source of the irregular rhythm. This disconnects its electrical pathway and allows the heart to beat more regularly.

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