Our congenital heart surgery program received the highest rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Newborns to teenagers benefit from our robust program.
Programs and research
Top-ranked programs
UW Health Kids offers specialized clinics and programs to treat children of all ages, including babies whose heart issue is detected before birth. Our specialists care for children with heart defects from birth through their toddler and teenage years. Many patients continue their care with us as adults.
You can be confident in the care your child will receive. National organizations rank our program among the best in the country. Our outcomes show that our patients do better than others when compared to others across the nation.
Our programs and clinics
We screen and diagnose heart conditions before birth. We partner with you to develop a care plan for birth, any procedure or surgery that may be required, as well as your child’s ongoing heart care.
We care for people affected with inherited or genetic conditions such as:
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Loeys-Dietz syndrome
Marfan syndrome
We treat genetic (passed through families) heart rhythm disorders.
We evaluate and care for children and teenagers with fainting (syncope) dizziness and POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).
We care for children with risk factors for early heart disease. We help kids reduce or get rid of risk factors, like high cholesterol, that may cause heart disease.
We care for children diagnosed with, or at risk for, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which affects the heart’s electrical system.
We care for adults born with heart conditions. We have a program to help kids transition to adult care.
Partners in care
Many diseases and disorders can affect your child’s heart. To ensure your child gets the very best heart care, we work with doctors across other UW Health clinics and programs. The clinics and programs we partner with include:
UW Health Kids Brain Care Clinic
UW Health Kids Metabolic Syndrome Clinic
UW Health Kids Neuromuscular Disorders Clinic
UW Health Kids Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
Turner Syndrome Clinic
Conditions and treatments
Care for every heart
Some children are born with a heart condition. These heart conditions are called congenital. Children can also develop heart conditions as they age. These are called acquired heart conditions. Heart conditions can also be inherited — or passed down from family members.
Conditions we treat
UW Health Kids heart specialists treat a full range of congenital and acquired heart conditions. With some highly specialized services, care might not be available at all of our clinic locations in Wisconsin and Illinois.
High LDL (low-density lipoprotein)
Familial hypercholesterolemia (inherited high cholesterol in children)
High triglycerides
Low HDL (high-density lipoprotein)
Elevated lipoprotein(a)
Anomalous coronary artery
Aortic regurgitation
Aortic stenosis
Aortopulmonary window
Atrial septal defect (ASD)
Atrioventricular canal defect (AV canal)
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV)
Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt
Coarctation of the aorta
Coronary artery fistula
Damus-Kaye-Stansel procedure
Dextrocardia
Double inlet left ventricle (DORV)
Ebstein’s anomaly
Fontan procedure
Glenn procedure
Hypoplastic heart syndrome (left and right)
Interrupted aortic arch
Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction
Mitral regurgitation
Mitral stenosis
Mitral valve prolapse
Norwood procedure
Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR)
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
Pulmonary atresia
Pulmonary stenosis (PS)
Pulmonary valve regurgitation
Ross procedure
Sano shunt procedure
Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms
Subaortic membrane
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)
Total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR)
Transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
Tricuspid atresia
Tricuspid regurgitation
Truncus arteriosus
Vascular ring
Ventricular septal defect (small to large)
Usually a heart has two working ventricles (pumping chambers). A child may be born with only one ventricle that works well enough to pump blood.
Bradycardia
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT)
Heart block (first degree, Mobitz type I, Mobitz type II and third degree)
Long QT syndrome (inherited arrhythmia)
Premature atrial contractions (PAC)
Premature ventricular contractions (PVC)
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
Tachycardia
Ventricular tachycardia (VT)
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW)
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD)
Cardiomyopathy
Chest pain
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Dysautonomia
Eisenmenger's syndrome
Endocarditis
Fainting (syncope) and dizziness
Heart failure
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Innocent heart murmur
Kawasaki disease
Marfan syndrome
Myocarditis
Patent foramen ovale (PFO)
Pericarditis
Peripheral pulmonic stenosis (PPS)
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
Pulmonary hypertension
Restrictive cardiomyopathy
Rheumatic fever
Treatments and diagnostic tools
If your child is diagnosed with a heart condition, the care team will discuss if any treatment is needed. Your child may not need any treatment, or they may need medication, surgery or a catheterization procedure.
We use cardiac catheterization or angiograms to diagnose and treat congenital heart conditions. The doctor threads a thin, flexible tube through a vein in the groin up to the heart. Contrast dye and X-rays show areas of concern. If needed, tiny surgical tools can be sent along the tube to treat certain conditions during the procedure.
We use chest X-rays to get images of the heart, lungs, airways, blood vessels and lymph nodes. A chest X-ray also shows the breastbone, collarbone and upper spine.
We use this painless test to create moving images of the heart. Sound waves build pictures that are more detailed than X-rays. Echocardiogram help us diagnose structural heart disease.
We use this painless screening test to check for heart issues. Using electrodes, this test measures the rate of heartbeats, the size and position of the heart chambers and any damage to the heart muscle. An ECG also checks the effects of drugs or devices (such as a pacemaker) used to regulate the heart.
Our electrophysiology and pacing program diagnoses and treats abnormal heart rhythms in children. We use a variety of tests such as treadmill testing and electrophysiology studies. Treatments include medication, ablation and pacemaker implantation.
We use this test to check heart function and blood pressure while your child walks on a treadmill.
We use this ultrasound test to diagnosis heart defects in babies before birth. The test checks the heart’s function and structure.
We use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to create detailed images of the heart to diagnose heart conditions or plan treatments.
A pacemaker helps to regulate the heart rate and can stimulate the heart beat, if needed. An ICD monitors heart function and shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm when needed.
We use pulse oximetry to monitor oxygen levels in the blood.
We use this procedure to correct abnormal electrical circuits in the heart that cause arrhythmias. We thread a catheter through a vein in the groin up to the heart. We use X-rays to position the catheter at the site of the damaged electrical circuit. The catheter delivers energy (by heating or freezing) to destroy the abnormal circuit.
We perform an echocardiogram test before and after the heart exercise. This checks how the heart responds to exercise.
Locations
Our team offers advanced heart surgery at American Family Children’s Hospital. American Family Children’s Hospital is ranked among the nation’s best hospitals for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery.
Locations
Convenient, top-ranked care
You don’t have to travel far to get the very best care for your child’s heart. UW Health Kids heart care specialists can see your child in Madison, Wis., Rockford, Ill., and at many clinics across Wisconsin.
Meet our team
Experts in caring for children’s hearts
The UW Health Kids heart care team is specially trained to care for heart conditions affecting children.
Our team includes:
Cardiologists
Cardiothoracic surgeons
Case managers
Dietitians
Genetic counselors
Nurse practitioners
Physician assistants
Registered Nurses
Resources
Helpful information for families
UW Health Kids experts help children (with the help of their parents) manage their heart conditions for the best possible heart-healthy lives.
- Learn about common kids heart health tests and procedures
- Heart health for kids: Elevated LDL
- Heart health for kids: Low HDL
- Heart health for kids: High triglycerides
- Familial hypercholesterolemia in children
- My child’s lipoprotein(a) level
- Heart health for kids: 12 eating tips for young healthy hearts
- Heart healthy eating for kids: Managing cholesterol levels
- Why should I have my child's cholesterol checked?
Inspiring patients
Meet a few of our patients and their families through their inspiring stories.
Joelle required multiple surgeries to improve her heart function. Even after her family moved 16 hours away from Madison, they worked with UW Health Kids heart specialists for her care plan and returned for the necessary heart surgeries.
Boone’s parents sought out care from UW Health after seeing the heart program’s strong rankings by US News and World Report. After three surgeries and spending many holidays with their “family” at American Family Children’s Hospital, Boone is doing very well.
Amber Noggle was 20 weeks pregnant when she went in for what she expected to be a routine ultrasound.