Heart Care at The Children’s Hospital

You’re in Very Good Hands

Certainly, one of the scariest things a parent can learn is that his child has a heart problem. But you can be confident that you are receiving the best possible care at The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute. While it is hard to relax when your child is ill, you can focus on his mental, emotional and spiritual needs, while we focus on your child’s physical care. Our patients are newborns, children, adolescents, teens and young adults with congenital heart defects or acquired heart disease. Our goal is to help your child lead a normal, happy and healthy life.

The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute

The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute is an international leader in pediatric cardiac care. It is one of only eight stand-alone pediatric research centers in the nation and one of the fastest-growing pediatric cardiac programs in the country. The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute is the only full-service, pediatric cardiac care center in a seven-state region, providing inpatient care and operating clinics on Children’s main campus, as well as in satellite clinics across metro Denver and throughout Colorado and Wyoming.

Led by cardiothoracic surgeon Francois Lacour-Gayet, MD, and cardiologist Dunbar Ivy, MD, The Heart Institute’s multidisciplinary team of pediatric cardiologists, surgeons, nurses, techs, social workers and others ensures that children throughout the Rocky Mountain region and beyond have access to excellent pediatric cardiac care. Our world-renowned leadership, expert teams, excellent outcomes, comprehensive capabilities and significant research are dedicated specifically to pediatric cardiac care. A partnership with the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine ensures cutting-edge research in pediatric cardiac care. The Children’s Hospital offers one of only eight stand-alone pediatric research centers in the nation.

Areas of Expertise

• The Children's Hospital has been the top pediatric heart transplant center in the nation for over five years, performing more pediatric heart transplants than any other hospital.

• In addition to heart transplants, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons perform approximately 350 heart surgeries on infants, children, and adolescents each year. Cardiac surgeons use a variety of surgical techniques to correct cardiac problems including open-heart, minimally-invasive, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Our surgeons have special expertise in complex heart procedures that include biventricular repairs and neonatal procedures, such as Norwood procedures, Arterial Switch procedure, TAPVR repair.

• Our Pulmonary Hypertension Program is one of the premier programs in the United States.

• Our Arrhythmia Center is an internationally recognized program for children

• Our Marfan Syndrome Clinic, deemed the regional referral center for the Rocky Mountain region by the National Marfan Foundation for children with this congenital disorder

• Our Adult Congenital Heart Clinic is held at the University of Colorado Hospital, serves patients over 18 who have congenital heart disease
• Our Prenatal Cardiac Diagnosis Program has the ability to detect congenital heart defects as early as 18 weeks of gestation

• Our Lipid Clinic for children and adolescents who are at risk for early onset coronary artery disease and stroke, and Shapedown Clinic, the nation's leading weight-loss program for adolescents and children, provides a family approach to childhood and adolescent obesity

• Our Cardiopulmonary Exercise Laboratory provides testing to children and adults with congenital heart disease

• Our Echocardiography Laboratory provides state-of-the-art, non-invasive imaging for unborn fetuses, infants, children and adolescents at our main hospital and by telemedicine 24/7

The Institute Approach Means Better Care

The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute was established to deliver an interdisciplinary method to pediatric cardiac care, which means all the services you need are all here for you in one place. By combining the resources of some of the world’s most qualified and most experienced specialists, every patient receives a more complete level of care. From diagnosis to the latest treatments to aftercare, The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute brings together the best minds, hands and hearts together, working as a team on behalf of your child. The Children's Hospital Heart Institute is a collaboration of the departments of Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery and Pulmonary. We have dedicated Cardiac Intensive Care and Progressive Care Unit with specially trained nursing staff and Clinical Social Workers who are experienced in working with children with heart conditions on a daily basis.