Pediatric single ventricle program at Dell Children's
Hearing that your baby has a congenital heart condition can be overwhelming. But you’re in the right place, with pediatric specialists at the Single Ventricle Program within the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease at Dell Children's Medical Center at Ascension Seton in Austin, Texas. At the only comprehensive children’s heart center in Central Texas, your baby will be cared for by highly experienced and nationally recognized pediatric specialists and heart surgeons.
The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease at Dell Children's Medical Center is ranked among the nation's best Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery specialty programs by U.S. News & World Report in 2023-2024.
The Single Ventricle Program diagnoses, treats, and manages the care of children with single ventricle heart defects from prenatal life through adulthood. Single ventricle heart defects consist of a wide range of very complex disorders in which the heart cannot be used to pump the blood to both the lungs and the body. When this occurs, the heart is used only to move blood around the body while the surgical team uses a staged approach to create a path for the blood to flow to the lungs without a pump. These conditions put stress on the single ventricle to pump blood to the lungs and throughout the rest of the body. While we expect that most babies with a single ventricle heart defect will have a procedure at birth followed by a bidirectional Glenn shunt procedure at 4 to 6 months of age and a Fontan operation at 3 to 4 years of age, some children will require fewer or more procedures.
The Single Ventricle Program care team is comprised of nationally recognized and highly specialized physicians across different disciplines housed in a single cardiac care unit at Dell Children’s Medical Center. With access to expert staff and advanced technology, we provide a wide variety of services, from evaluation, testing, and diagnosis to medical management, home monitoring, rehabilitation, heart surgery, and more, to give patients and their families the best quality of life.
Our approach to care
Pediatric heart care backed by research
The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease at Dell Children's Medical Center is a collaboration between Dell Children’s Medical Center at Ascension Seton and UT Health Austin, the clinical practice of Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.
Frequently asked questions
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How does the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease approach patient care?We take a multidisciplinary approach to your child's care, meaning your child will benefit from the expertise of multiple specialists across a variety of disciplines. Depending on your child’s needs, a team is built around you and your family to ensure you are receiving the most personalized care.
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What does treatment look like?Patients are cared for by a dedicated multidisciplinary care team, meaning your child will benefit from the expertise of multiple specialists across a variety of disciplines. Our board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric and congenital heart surgeons have extensive experience treating heart diseases and defects in children of all ages and work alongside a team of pediatric cardiac experts, including cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, critical care specialists, hospitalists, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, nurses, advanced practice providers, social workers, psychologists, child life specialists, dietitians, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists, and more, providing unparalleled care for patients and their families every step of the way.
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What makes the care and treatment provided by the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease unique?
The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease is the only pediatric program in Central Texas offering comprehensive heart care for newborns, infants, children, and adolescents. The care team is comprised of nationally recognized and highly specialized doctors across different disciplines housed in a single cardiac care unit at Dell Children’s Medical Center. The Pediatric Cardiac Care Unit is a 24-bed inpatient unit at Dell Children’s that is dedicated to delivering highly specialized, whole-person care to infants, children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with congenital or acquired heart conditions. Patients and families have access to all of the resources and amenities Dell Children’s has to offer to make your stay as comforting as possible.
We also collaborate with our colleagues at the Dell Medical School and The University of Texas at Austin to utilize the latest research, diagnostic, and treatment techniques, allowing us to provide innovative treatment options to patients with heart disease and defects.
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Who will be part of my child's care team?The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease care team includes board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric and congenital heart surgeons who have extensive experience treating heart diseases and defects in children of all ages and work alongside a team of pediatric cardiac experts, including cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, critical care specialists, hospitalists, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, nurses, advanced practice providers, social workers, psychologists, child life specialists, dietitians, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists, and more, providing unparalleled care for patients and their families every step of the way.
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What types of conditions are treated?The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease diagnoses, treats, and manages the care of children and adults with heart diseases and defects, including aortic coarctation, congenital heart disease, heart failure, pulmonary atresia, pulmonary valve stenosis, single ventricle defects, ventricular septal defects, and more. A list of conditions treated at the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease can be found here.
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What types of services are provided?The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease diagnoses, treats, and manages the care of children and adults with heart diseases and defects, including aortic coarctation, congenital heart disease, heart failure, pulmonary atresia, pulmonary valve stenosis, single ventricle defects, ventricular septal defects, and more. A list of services provided at the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease can be found here.
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What can I expect during my first appointment?Initial cardiology appointments often include testing, such as a chest X-ray, an echocardiogram (ECHO), and an electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG), but may also include cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a computerized tomography (CT) scan, or an exercise treadmill test (stress test). All initial appointments will include a visit with a cardiologist. The duration of the appointment is dependent on the patient and their condition, and appointments times vary from a short visit to potentially taking all day. Be sure to ask for an estimated timeframe when scheduling your appointment.
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What can I expect during a preoperative appointment?Preoperative appointments typically involve testing, such as blood work, a chest X-ray and an electrocardiography (ECG/EKG), followed by visits with members of the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease care team, including a surgical advanced practice provider, such as a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant, child life specialist, physical therapist, psychologist or social worker, and nurse navigator. The purpose of this appointment is to ensure patients are well and prepared for surgery and to answer any questions you may have. This appointment takes approximately 4 hours.
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Are there any resources available to patients and their families?The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease is committed to providing both whole-patient and whole-family care and is dedicated to making every childhood the beginning of a healthy and happy life. We believe every child and their family deserves the best possible care, which is why we’ve compiled a list of resources that may be beneficial to you and your family. A list of patient resources can be found here.