Patients may be referred to a pediatric cardiologist for a variety of reasons. Some of the more common conditions that we evaluate and treat include:
The team at Pediatric Cardiology Care has the expertise to diagnose and manage all forms of congenital and acquired heart disease, as well as educate patients and their families on such conditions. The services provided at our office to evaluate and treat these cardiac conditions include:
An EKG is a safe, non-invasive test that helps us evaluate a patient’s heart rhythm and detect signs of other existing heart conditions. To perform an EKG, 12-15 stickers or “leads” are typically placed on the patient’s chest and connected to a central base, which then inputs the information and produces a printed document for the physician to interpret.
An echocardiogram is a safe, non-invasive ultrasound examination of the heart, which allows for direct imaging of the heart structure and function. Typically, this testing is utilized to evaluate for structural heart defects, valve abnormalities, fluid collection around the heart, and assessment of overall cardiac size and performance. The medical staff and physicians at Pediatric Cardiology Care are well-trained in performing these studies on infants, children, and adolescents.
The evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease and/or heart rhythm abnormalities during pregnancy is possible through the use of fetal echocardiograms. This imaging service allows us to provide expert guidance and monitoring during pregnancy, important education for families, and critical planning to ensure safe delivery and comprehensive care after the birth of your newborn. Dr. Gospin collaborates with many of the leading obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists in the greater Houston area to provide prenatal consultations and fetal echocardiograms. Dr. Gospin has extensive experience performing prenatal services and she has subsequently followed these patients throughout infancy and childhood.
A Holter monitor is a heart rhythm monitor that is typically worn by the patient for 24-48 hours. It is similar in appearance to an EKG (see above description), and its purpose is to record a patient’s heart rhythm continuously during the monitoring period. Holter monitors are helpful in diagnosing heart rhythm abnormalities.
Cardiac event monitors are devices typically issued to patients for 30-day use, with the purpose of identifying heart rhythm abnormalities. These monitors are not worn continuously, but rather the recording of the heart rhythm is obtained when the monitor is held up to the patient’s chest and activated. Therefore, these heart rhythm monitors are often more beneficial for patients with symptoms that are less frequent in nature.
