Young heart patients help Dr. Mark Sklansky, chief of pediatric cardiology, cut the ribbon at a celebration to kick-off the new Children’s Heart Center at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.
Photo credit: Reed Hutchinson/UCLA
The Children’s Heart Center at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital celebrated its grand opening at an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by staff, physicians, patients, family members and supporters on Jan. 23.
The UCLA Children's Heart Center provides world-class medical care in a warm and caring environment for children with known or suspected heart disease beginning with prenatal care, continuing through infancy, childhood and adolescence and transitioning into adulthood.
The beautifully designed center features a cheerful waiting room with a children’s play area, five clinic exam rooms, an exercise testing and device area, a dedicated counseling room and a state-of-the-art maternal-fetal suite. It is located in the 200 UCLA Medical Plaza in Westwood adjacent to the nationally acclaimed UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
“The UCLA Children’s Heart Center represents a full-service, state-of-the-art outpatient cardiology facility for children of all ages with any kind of heart disease, from common heart conditions to the most complex congenital heart defects,” said Dr. Mark Sklansky, professor and chief of pediatric cardiology at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and the center’s medical director. “We provide everything a child with known or suspected heart disease may need — including diagnostic testing, detailed clinical evaluations, medical therapy, nutritional guidance and family support services — all in one convenient location.”
For expectant mothers carrying babies with known or suspected heart disease, the center’s maternal-fetal suite provides detailed fetal echocardiographic evaluation as early as the twelfth week of pregnancy. Following the prenatal diagnosis of heart disease, UCLA’s fetal cardiology experts work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team to assure optimal outcomes.
Babies expected to need heart catheterization or surgery soon after birth can be delivered at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the same hospital where UCLA doctors successfully perform some of the most complex heart surgeries and transcatheter procedures in the world.
The ability to deliver babies in the same facility where neonatal surgery and cardiac catheterization are performed avoids subjecting fragile infants to the stress, risk and delay associated with hospital transport, and allows new mothers to stay near their newborns.
The Children's Heart Center is dedicated to serving the needs of all pediatric cardiac patients and their families. The center's close collaboration with the Ahmanson UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center, located adjacent to the UCLA Children's Heart Center, provides pediatric patients and their families with a seamless transition into life-long cardiac care.
The center offers initial appointments within 24 hours of referral when needed, a multidisciplinary group of pediatric cardiology specialists, experienced pediatric nursing, social work and dietary support.
To learn more about the UCLA Children’s Heart Center, please visit uclahealth.org/ChildrensHeartCenter.
