Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect. Ericka Scheller McLaughlin, DO, pediatric and fetal cardiologist, discusses how the fetal cardiology team coordinates with referring providers and families to offer collaborative care from diagnosis through adolescence and adulthood.
To learn more call 602-933-4411, or make a referral .
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in infants. Once a diagnosis is made at the fetal care center of Phoenix Children's, we always have conversations with the referring providers. A child that has congenital heart disease will be followed both by a pediatric cardiologist, as well as their primary pediatrician. And so we try to collaborate with our pediatric colleagues so that they can help manage routine care vaccines. Other things that the baby might need a baby with critical congenital heart disease is usually defined as somebody that will need surgery within the first couple of weeks or months of life. So often those babies will need to be stabilized in the neonatal intensive care unit and then transferred over to Phoenix children's hospital where often those babies will have some sort of procedure or surgery within the first week of life. When a mother is diagnosed with a baby with congenital heart disease, we really try to walk with that mom on the journey up and through pregnancy so they can prepare and be educated for what's gonna happen after delivery and kind of have an expectation of what's gonna happen next. So I think one of the more important things about the fetal care center at Phoenix Children's is the comprehensive program that we have. We really include all subspecialties within the prenatal counseling period as well as have support services for the family. So the Phoenix Children's Heart Center is growing exponentially and that's one of the reasons why we're trying to expand out into the community as well. Um We're building clinics out in Arrowhead, Avondale and then also in the East Valley as well. And I feel privileged to work in the fetal care center at Phoenix Children's because I get to help families on their journey with congenital heart disease.
