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Fetal Cardiology

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The Fetal Cardiology Program, which includes specialists from the Heart Center and The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health, ensures that families expecting a new baby with heart concerns receive the best diagnostic and counseling care available. 

Our fetal heart program provides specialized ultrasound imaging of the fetal heart during pregnancy (fetal echocardiography). Each year, our pediatric cardiologists perform more than 2,000 fetal echocardiograms at multiple sites in the greater Chicago area, with a diagnostic accuracy that exceeds 95%. The pediatric cardiologist is able to provide immediate results and counseling at the time of the scan.

Our partnership with Prentice Women's Hospital allows Lurie Children’s to offer comprehensive heart care for expectant mothers’ babies, as well as their newborn infants. Prentice is connected to Lurie Children's by a bridged walkway, enabling rapid intervention by our cardiology team in cases of complex heart disease. It also provides seamless transition of the newborn’s care to the state-of-the-art Regenstein Cardiac Care Unit at Lurie Children’s.

Our cardiac surgical team at Lurie Children’s is supported by neonatologists, dedicated cardiac anesthesiologists and our team of cardiac intensivists and dedicated cardiac nurses. We participate in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons database, and our surgical outcomes are in the top 5% of 111 participating programs in the United States and Canada. 

Our Fetal Cardiac Nurse Coordinator ensures that families have access to the cardiac team throughout the pregnancy, and the support and resoures needed. To contact our team, please email fetalhealth@luriechildrens.org


Fetal Heart Conditions We Treat

Our fetal heart care team evaluates fetuses of mothers with health conditions such as diabetes, lupus and Sjögren syndrome, which can affect heart development. We also treat a wide range of fetal and neonatal cardiac conditions, including:

What to Expect at Your Fetal Cardiology Appointment

At your first appointment, you can expect to receive a fetal echocardiogram. A pediatric cardiologist will perform this heart ultrasound and will discuss the findings and treatment options with you immediately after the scan. The pediatric cardiologist also will discuss the test results with your obstetrician and coordinate any needed treatment.

Comprehensive Fetal Care Consultations

If an abnormality is identified on prenatal screening, a comprehensive fetal care consultation to discuss anticipated surgery or other care after birth can be arranged at Lurie Children's through The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health. This consultation will be arranged with the cardiac specialists who will be involved in your child’s care after birth. In addition to a cardiologist, this team may include a cardiac surgeon, cardiac critical care specialist and neonatologist. The specialists will discuss and coordinate the best treatment plan for your baby after birth, and may review anticipated procedures, expected length of stay and anticipated surgical results. Our specialty programs offer a multi-disciplinary team of specialists committed to the best outcomes. For an example of what this care journey could include, please refer to the Comprehensive Single Ventricle Fetal Roadmap

The Lurie Children's Difference

The Heart Center at Lurie Children’s offer services that are not widely available elsewhere, including:

Our Fetal Cardiology Specialists

Pediatric Cardiologists

All are board-certified pediatric cardiologists with extensive experience in fetal and neonatal imaging and care.

Sheetal R. Patel, MD, MSCI, FAAP

Medical Director, Fetal Cardiology Program; Fetal Cardiac Co-Director, The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health
 
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
 

Watch Dr. Patel's profile video

Michael R. Carr, MD

Attending Physician, Cardiology; Fellowship Program Director

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Kelly L. Cox, MD

Attending Physician, Cardiology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Nina L. Gotteiner, MD

Attending Physician, Cardiology

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Watch Dr. Gotteiner's profile video

Nazia Husain, MPH, MBBS

Attending Physician, Cardiology; Cardiology Lead, Clinical-Translational Cardiac MRI/CT

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics-Cardiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Amy S. Lay, MD

Director, Non-Critical Care Inpatient Cardiology, Regenstein Cardiac Care Unit; Attending Physician, Cardiology

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Bethan A. Lemley, MD

Attending Physician, Cardiology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Angira Patel, MD, MPH

Attending Physician, Cardiology; Medical Director, Echocardiography Lab

Director, Advanced Cardiac Non-Invasive Imaging Fellowship; Director, McGaw Bioethics Clinical Scholars Program; Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology) and Medical Education, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Sandhya R. Ramlogan, MD

Associate Medical Director, 3D and Procedural Echocardiography; Attending Physician, Cardiology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Stefani Samples, MD

Attending Physician, Cardiology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Michael B. Satzer, MD

Attending Physician, Cardiology

Health System Clinician of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Joyce Woo, MD, MS

Attending Physician, Cardiology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Catherine Fitt, BSN, RN, CPEN, CPN

Fetal Cardiology Nurse Coordinator

Robin Norwood, BSN, RN

Fetal Cardiology Nurse Coordinator

Pediatric Heart Surgeons

David S. Winlaw, MBBS, MD, FRACS

Division Head, Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery; Co-Executive Director, Heart Center; Member, Lurie Children's Surgical Foundation; Willis J. Potts, MD Founders’ Board Professorship in Surgery

Professor of Surgery (Pediatric Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery), Willis J. Potts Chair, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Osama M. Eltayeb, MD

Director, Vascular Rings Program; Attending Physician, Cardiovascular-thoracic Surgery; Member, Lurie Children's Surgical Foundation

Associate Professor of Surgery (Cardiac Surgery), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Watch Dr. Eltayeb's profile video.

Michael C. Mongé, MD

Surgical Director, Heart Failure/Heart Transplant Program; Attending Physician, Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery; Member, Lurie Children's Surgical Foundation

Assistant Professor of Surgery (Cardiac Surgery), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Watch Dr. Mongé's profile video

Regenstein Cardiac Care Unit Specialists

Kiona Y. Allen, MD

Attending Physician, Cardiology; Interim Medical Director, Regenstein Cardiac Care Unit; Medical Director, Single Ventricle Center of Excellence; Co-Director, NICU-Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Watch Dr. Allen's profile video

Erin Bressler, MD

Cardiac Intensivist, Cardiology

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Cardiology) and Pediatrics (Critical Care), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Catherine Collins, MD

Cardiac Intensivist, Cardiology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Conrad L. Epting, MD, FAAP

Attending Physician, Critical Care

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Watch Dr. Epting's profile video

Mary E. McBride, MD, MEd

Attending Physician, Cardiology

Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Education, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Watch Dr. McBride's profile video

Karl Migally, MD

Cardiac Intensivist, Cardiology; Director, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Fellowship Program

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Amy O'Connor, DO, MSCI

Cardiac Intensivist, Cardiology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Jamie S. Penk, MD

Cardiac Intensivist, Cardiology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Eric L. Wald, MD, MSCI

Attending Physician, Critical Care

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Critical Care), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Neonatologist

Meghan A. Coghlan, MD

Attending Physician, Neonatology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Watch Dr. Coghlan's profile video

Fetal Health Team

Rebecca Reed, MSW, MS, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Kristen Young, MS, CGC

Genetic Counselor

 

Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiologists

Lurie Children's Heart Center is home to the only anesthesia program in Illinois where each anesthesiologist is board-certified and fellowship-trained in pediatric anesthesia. ​Learn more

Collaborative Care

Our team routinely collaborates with pediatric experts at Lurie Children’s in areas such as:

Make an Appointment

In addition to in-person visits, we now offer telemedicine visits via video or phone. Some appointments will still require you to be seen in-person, but your physician and care team will let you know if a telemedicine appointment is available.

For Fetal Patients
To make an appointment with The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health​ or for a second opinion about in utero heart defects, please call 1.866.338.2524 (1.866.FETAL24) or email fetalhealth@luriechildrens.org

For Physicians 
For urgent consultations, MFMs or pediatric cardiologists can reach our specialists by calling 1.866.338.2524 (1.866.FETAL24) or emailing fetalhealth@luriechildrens.org​

For Infants/Children
For families or providers seeking a second opinion about treating infants and children with heart defects, we offer a Priority Second Opinion Clinic.

Request a Second Opinion

Educational Resources for Parents

Breastfeeding

We work one-on-one with families to be able to safely provide breast milk for their babies – whether through direct breastfeeding, bottle feeding expressed breast milk or expressed milk through a feeding tube. 

Learn more in our breastfeeding video series >

 

Telehealth Monitoring

Every patient who is diagnosed with single ventricle in infancy will be provided with additional telehealth support until their second surgery as part of the Interstage Home Monitoring Program

Learn more about Telehealth Monitoring >

Heart Center Family Resource Guide

To help prepare families for their care with Lurie Children's Heart Center, we have compiled a list of resources about treatment and recovery. Learn how to get ready for an inpatient stay or outpatient visit, and read about our support services for patients and families.

Training & Education

Our team is dedicated to improving education for obstetricians and maternal fetal medicine specialists to increase prenatal detection of congenital heart defects. To help achieve this goal, we offer regional and national CME events to train other providers in fetal echocardiography. Learn more about our past Fetal Echocardiography Workshop

Each year, we also host Fetology Chicago: Practice & Discovery, an educational program focused on the multi-disciplinary approach to evaluation, care and intervention for a spectrum of congenital diseases, including congenital heart disease. Learn more.