Houston Northwest Medical Center understands the importance of your child’s health care and is making advances to properly diagnose and treat heart disease in children.   

What Causes Pediatric Heart Disease?  
The two types of heart disease in children are congenital and acquired.  Congenital heart defects are the most common of defects in newborns and more than 30,000 babies are born with a congenital heart defect in the United States each year.  Acquired heart diseases include rheumatic fever and infective endocarditis which may develop during childhood.   

A congenital heart defect is a structural problem with the heart that develops before childbirth.  The defects can include abnormal passages in the heart, problems with the heart valves, issues with the development or placement of blood vessels near the heart, or problems with the development of the heart.     

Common signs and symptoms of congenital heart disease are a heart murmur, fast breathing, shortness of breath, tiring easily, poor weight gain or feeding, and a bluish tint to skin, lips, or fingernails.  If your child has a suspected congenital heart defect, an echocardiogram can be performed as part of a complete cardiac evaluation by specialists to help diagnose your child’s heart condition.    

What is an Echocardiogram?  

An echocardiogram is a non-invasive diagnostic ultrasound test of the heart that looks at the function, blood flow and structures of the heart.  The test utilizes reflected sound waves to obtain moving images of the heart while the ultra-sound probe is placed on the surface of the child’s chest.  The procedure is painless, involves no exposure to radiation, and results in more detailed imaging than an X-ray.

By observing the structure and movement of the heart during the echocardiogram, variations in heart size, pumping strength, heart muscle damage, valve problems and structural abnormalities can be identified.  The results of the test will help the pediatric cardiologist and your child’s physician determine if further evaluation and treatment are required.  Treatment options depend on the size and type of defect, as well as your child’s age, size and general health.   

Echocardiograms for children are performed by a team of specially trained technicians, nurses, and cardiologists in the Ed Roberson Heart Center’s Echocardiogram Lab at Houston Northwest Medical Center.  The Ed Roberson Heart Center offers a variety of cardiovascular diagnostic and treatment services including cardiac catheterization.  The Heart Center is served by nearly 40 cardiologists and provides a wide range of cardiac services designed around prevention and intervention.  Experienced pediatric specialists are on staff at Houston Northwest Medical Center to provide your child with the specific care they need.

Project Heart Safe
Houston Northwest Medical Center is committed to helping prevent the tragedies of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in school-age children and adolescents. Project Heart Safe is an educational and community awareness program offered by Houston Northwest Medical Center that is designed to provide schools with information that could be used to prevent sudden cardiac death in the school setting.  

Keeping Your Kids Safe While You Are Away Call 281-580-0000 to receive a free Project Heart Safe babysitter magnet board today. Post the board on your fridge for your children and their caregivers to have easy access to the important contact numbers and details they need to know in case of an emergency. You can never be too careful when it comes to your family’s safety!