Fetal Heart Program

Heart care and compassion start before birth

Almost one in one hundred babies is born with a heart problem (congenital heart defect or disease). Many fetal cardiology defects can be diagnosed before birth, allowing for extensive counseling with a physician and timely access to cardiac treatment to give your baby the best chance for a good outcome. Hundreds of families each year trust experts with the Fetal Heart Program within the Herma Heart Institute at Children’s Wisconsin to provide the best possible care through pregnancy, birth and beyond for babies with congenital heart disease.

Finding out that your unborn baby may have congenital heart disease is frightening. As one of the nation’s top fetal cardiac programs, and in partnership with the Fetal Concerns Center, we’ve helped thousands of families receive the expert care and support they need.

Why choose us?

The Herma Heart Institute consistently reports some of the best surgical outcomes for even the most complex types of heart disease, based on reporting data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and we are proud to have the best published survival rates worldwide for treating hypoplastic left heart syndrome, an uncommon and complicated congenital heart disease. U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks our program as one of the top heart and heart surgery programs in the nation. We are committed to providing the best pediatric cardiology care for you and your baby.

Our fetal heart program services include:

• Fetal echocardiography (fetal ultrasound or fetal echo), to assess an unborn baby’s heart structure, rhythm and function.
• Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG), which can diagnose fetal heart rhythm abnormalities more accurately than fetal echocardiography. This allows for a better understanding of the type and cause of rhythm problems so that treatment can be better tailored. fMCG is only available in a handful of centers in the world.
• Consultation with a fetal cardiologist (who specializes in care of the fetus with heart abnormalities) to discuss the diagnosis and treatment options.
• A dedicated Fetal Heart Program nurse who will help coordinate your care and serve as a consistent resource throughout your pregnancy
• Onsite labor and delivery facilities, which allow mother and baby to stay close, and a co-located Level IV NICU.
• Access to world class pediatric heart surgery for common to complex congenital heart conditions

What to expect at your visit to our Fetal Heart Program

When you come for an appointment with the Fetal Heart Program, a provider will initially review your medical history. A fetal echocardiogram will be performed by one of the fetal cardiologists. If a problem with your baby’s heart is found, the fetal cardiologist will explain in detail the diagnosis, care options, possible outcomes and next steps.

Learn more about the expert pediatric heart specialists at Herma Heart who will work with you and your child.