Essentially, it is a constellation of diagnosis, intervention and preparation and can impact decisions like where a mother will deliver her baby. Once a fetus with a heart defect has been diagnosed at the Texas Children's Heart Center, a team of highly trained cardiologists begins preparing for the baby's arrival. Expectant mothers usually visit the Heart Center's Echocardiography Lab when an ultrasound indicates a potential heart defect in the unborn child.
Ultrasounds are limited because they give only an overall view of the fetus's development.
Evaluating the baby's heart in detail before birth allows specialists to prepare for giving the baby the best possible outcome. If the fetus has problems in utero, such as a cardiac dysfunction, cardiologists can begin treating the baby by administering medication to the mother. For example, if the echo shows that the baby's heart has a slow rhythm, cardiac surgeons may recommend a pacemaker implantation soon after birth. Upon the baby's arrival, a mother might be advised to deliver at a hospital near a pediatric specialty hospital, such as Texas Children's Hospital. This speeds the transportation of the baby to a neonatal intensive care unit, where the child can receive necessary and proper neonatal care.