Heart Institute Overview

from Practice Update, Winter 2004

The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute is currently one of the fastest-growing pediatric cardiac programs in the country. Denver is on the move and this is the story of success and potential, from the latest in new surgical and medical advances to a parents’ perspective on heart disease and its treatment at The Children’s Hospital.

In the mid 1970s, The Children’s Hospital began to build a program for the treatment of congenital and acquired heart disease with the recruitment of George Pappas, MD, as chairman. A decade later, David Clarke, MD, assumed the chairmanships of both the University of Colorado ’s pediatric cardiac surgery department and the pediatric cardiac surgery program at Children’s. Introducing a multidisciplinary approach, Dr. Clarke led the development of The Children’s Hospital Cardiac Care Center . Recruitments of Bob Wolfe, MD, Mark Boucek, MD, and Henry Sondheimer, MD, expanded the program. In 1990, with the formal affiliation of Children’s with the University, all pediatric cardiac services were moved to 19th and Downing, The Children’s  Hospital’s main location.

Over the last decades of the century, cardiac services expanded. The catheterization laboratory was updated and expanded. The cardiac transplant program grew to be one of the busiest in the country. The pulmonary hypertension program gained prestige as one of the top centers of its kind in the nation. Clinics were added. Technology advanced. New staff recruited.

Today, the Cardiac Care Center has evolved into The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute. With the arrival of François Lacour-Gayet , MD , one of the world’s leading pediatric heart surgeons, new surgical interventions offer alternatives to transplant, and minimally invasive techniques speed recovery and limit scarring. Melvin Almodóvar, MD, recruited from one of the nation’s top programs in pediatric cardiac critical care, strengthens perioperative care for these most critical young patients. Dunbar Ivy, MD, an expert in pulmonary hypertension, leads a team of nationally recognized cardiologists. Focused cardiac nursing provides specific cardiac expertise and family support. Results-producing research continues to advance treatment and improve outcomes.

The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute offers a broad spectrum of clinical services. The affiliation with the University of Colorado reinforces its ability to treat an extended population of congenital and acquired heart disease patients. Services and clinics available include:

• Echocardiography/Cardiac Imaging
• Fetal Cardiology Clinic
• Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
• Cardiac Transplantation
• Cardiac Surgery
• Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
• Arrhythmia Clinic
• Cardiomyopathy/Heart Failure Clinic 
• Exercise Physiology Laboratory
• Obesity/Shapedown® Clinic
• High Cholesterol Clinic
• Marfan Syndrome Clinic
• Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic
• Leading Research Programs
• Focused Cardiac Nursing
• Cardiac MRI
• Cardiac Intensive Care

Additionally, the full staff of The Children’s Hospital, one of the nation’s top-ranked hospitals for the care of children, is available for consultation and treatment of The Heart Institute’s young patients. Extensive family services offer support for both the practical and emotional aspects of caring for a child with heart disease.