Our paediatric cardiology service provides care to infants, children and young adults. We care for thousands of patients each year and have one of the largest cardiac surgical programmes for children in the UK.
World-class children’s heart care
Patients come from all over to be treated by our world-leading children’s cardiologists. Our cardiology service at Evelina London has a long history of innovation and world-firsts, including the first operation on a child with congenital heart disease – now referred to as the Ross procedure.
We offer life-changing care for patients from before birth (fetal cardiology), through early childhood, adolescence and into adulthood, providing expert diagnosis and specialist treatment for children and young people with complex heart disease.
Our expert paediatric cardiologists diagnose and treat a range of children’s heart problems, including congenital heart disease (which is present from birth), acquired heart disease (which develops after birth), and heart rhythm disturbances.
Learn about our facilities at Sky Ward where we treat children with heart conditions.
Our history of innovation
We have achieved many UK and world-firsts in children’s cardiology, including:
- UK’s first and largest fetal cardiology service
- UK’s first fetal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) service
- UK’s first children’s hospital to introduce 3D scans to diagnose and treat congenital heart disease
- world’s first operation on a child with congenital heart disease – now called the Ross procedure
- world’s first MRI-guided cardiac catheter intervention
- world’s first fetal cardiac intervention
- world’s first MRI-guided children’s heart valve procedure
We continue to research innovative applications including artificial intelligence and virtual reality imaging to improve patient care.
Learn about our expertise in children's heart procedures.
Conditions
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Aortic regurgitation
Aortic regurgitation is when the valve blood leaks back into the heart through the valve.
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Aortic stenosis
Aortic stenosis is a disease that affects the main outlet valve of the heart and is the third most common cardiovascular disease.
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Cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm)
Cardiac arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm, where the heart’s normal rhythm is disrupted.
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Congenital heart disease
Congenital heart disease is a collective term for a range of birth defects that affect the heart. Learn more about how it is diagnosed and treated.
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Heart failure
Heart failure occurs when the heart stops being able to pump blood around the body in an efficient way.
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Mitral regurgitation
Mitral regurgitation is the most common heart valve problem worldwide. It is a dysfunction of the heart’s mitral valve.
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Tricuspid regurgitation
Tricuspid regurgitation is when the tricuspid valve of the heart doesn't close properly.
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Valvular heart disease
Heart valve disease occurs when the valves of the heart become diseased or damaged.
Treatments
Investigations
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Cardiac imaging in children
Children's cardiac imaging helps diagnose heart diseases and defects. Diagnostics include echocardiography, cardiac MRI, CT and ECG.
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Cardiac MRI scan (CMR)
A cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scan is non-invasive and shows detailed images of your heart.
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CT coronary angiography scan
A CT (computerised tomography) coronary angiography is a type of scan that shows the structure of the heart and the arteries which supply blood to the heart.
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Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram – also known as an echo – is a scan that examines the heart and surrounding blood vessels.
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Electrocardiogram (ECG)
An electrocardiogram (also known as an ECG) is a test which is used to check your heart’s rhythm and electrical activity.
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Electrophysiology testing for arrhythmias
By recording and studying the electrical activity of the heart, we are able to determine the underlying cause of a heart rhythm problem.
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Exercise stress test
An exercise stress test assesses how the heart is working during physical activity.
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PET-CT and nuclear medicine
PET-CT and nuclear medicine scans use small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose a variety of diseases.
Locations
Our children's cardiology specialists provide care at the following locations:
Discover our children's cardiology experts
Our children’s heart specialists work in multidisciplinary teams to provide access to the full breadth of clinical services ensuring high quality expertise and specialist care.