The Scott and Laura Eller Congenital Heart Center is an academic faculty-based model for multidisciplinary care. The staff comprises a devoted team of physicians, nurses and allied practitioners. Care for all patients with congenital heart disease is provided in an integrated and coordinated system from before birth to adulthood.
Maternal-fetal care begins with prenatal diagnosis by an integrated team of devoted perinatologists and pediatric cardiologists and continues through the entire pregnancy. Pediatric cardiac surgeons, pediatric cardiac intensivists, neonatologists, and pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists are also available for prenatal consultation. After birth, the team provides tailored medical and surgical therapy for the individual child. The Center also provides a comprehensive care plan for adults with congenital heart disease that includes medical follow-up, interventions and surgery.
Surgical Services
The center's surgical team has expertise in all aspects of surgical care for children and adults with congenital heart and lung defects. Managing a full range of surgical services from infants to adulthood including surgery involving single ventricle or other complex anomalies that require early, complicated reconstructive surgery. The Center has continued to demonstrate excellent results in terms of mortality and complication rates through the collaborative efforts of a multidisciplinary team.
Our surgeons also have the depth and breadth of experience that enables state-of-the-art approaches to surgery, providing patients with a safe and efficient pathway to recovery and rehabilitation.
Medical Services
The medical services provided within the Scott and Laura Congenital Heart Center include clinical services for the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired heart disease in infants, children and young adults. We believe in the team approach, and bring together diverse pediatric specialists to provide children with the best care.
Our programs include Pediatric Cardiology, Fetal Cardiology and Echocardiography, Electrophysiology, Non-invasive Imaging and Telemedicine, and Pediatric Radiology. State-of-the-art MRI and 3-dimensional CT minimizes invasive testing and unnecessary procedures. Pediatric cardiologists and radiologists with expertise in congenital heart disease collaborate to pioneer new imaging modalities for complex heart disease. We strive for excellence in education and research to enhance our patient care efforts.
St. Joseph's is becoming a regional leader in catheter-based treatment of congenital heart disease. Percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus and ventricular septal defects are now available. Coarctation repair without surgery, angioplasty and valvuloplasty of aortic and pulmonic valves are standard procedures with excellent results.
Novel pediatric electrophysiology (EP) services for infants, children and adults are performed by nationally recognized specialists. Pacemaker, automatic implantable defibrillators (AICDs), and bi-ventricular pacing systems are implanted in hybrid catheterization labs.
Fetal Cardiology Program
As part of the Scott and Laura Eller Congenital Heart Center, the Fetal Cardiology Program offers evaluation, diagnosis and management of pregnancies at-risk for fetal structural heart defects and rhythm disturbances. Our Pediatric and Fetal Echocardiography Laboratory allows early detection of congenital heart anomalies.
Fetal Cardiology Program services include:
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Direct referrals accepted from obstetricians, family practitioners, perinatologists or other specialists taking care of the unborn child.
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Consultation for pregnancies with fetus at-risk for cardiac defects including abnormal maternal serum screening; abnormal obstetric ultrasound; late or early maternal age; maternal intake of potentially teratogenic medications or drugs; lupus, diabetes, family history of cardiac disorder or genetic disease; abnormalities of other fetal organ systems.
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Fetal echocardiogram. This test involves the use of an ultrasound machine specially equipped for use in cardiac imaging. Dr. Alboliras is one of few pediatric cardiologists with a vast experience in performing and interpreting fetal echocardiograms.
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Diagnosis and management of fetal arrhythmias.
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If desired by the referring physician, consultation with other Scott and Laura Eller Congenital Heart Center and/or the Fetal Care Center staff for services including cardiothoracic surgery, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, genetics and social services.
Pediatric Cardithoracic Intensive Care Unit
A 24-bed critical care unit provides a superior continuum of care by the region's experts. All relevant cardiac services are provided in one central comfortable, familiar, family-friendly area. The team of nurses in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit are specially trained in caring for the child with congenital heart disease. Their dedication, paired with their expertise, is aimed at meeting every need of the patient and family. This is done through providing education, comfort and support. The bonds between the nursing staff and families are spoken of many years after they are established. And it is this relationship that is often the most memorable.
A New Model for Family-Centered Care (opening Fall 2007)
The new pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit at St. Joseph's is a new innovative concept for pediatric cardiac care. With the primary goal of providing the best medical care for patients with congenital heart disease, the new care unit will incorporate four fundamental principles into its design and operations: 1. continuity of care, 2. dedicated specialized care, 3. family-centered care, and 4. patient safety. This concept and structure will be the first of its kind in the region.
All neonates, infants, children, adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease will be admitted and cared for in this unit. These patients will be triaged to several designated areas in the care unit based on their acuity and need for additional critical or non-critical medical and nursing services.
Throughout their entire hospitalization, all patients and their families will have the comfort and security of being cared for in one physical unit from the time of admission through the time of discharge. This model of specialized care will provide enhanced patient safety and improve patient outcomes.
The Center plans include a dedicated continuous pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, which will be the only unit of its kind in the Southwest.
Faculty Physicians
Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery
David Cleveland, MD, Executive Director, HLI
John Nigro, MD, Director, Scott and Laura Congenital Heart Center
Pediatric Cardiology
Stephen Pophal, MD, Director of Pediatric Cardiology
Ernie Alboliras, MD, Director, Pediatric and Fetal Non-invasive Imaging and Telemedicine
Lourdes Guerrero-Tiro, MD
Karim Diab, MD
Edward Rhee, MD
Jeffrey Rockow, MD, Medical Director, Northern Arizona Congenital Heart Center
James Mathewson, MD, Associate Medical Director, Northern Arizona Congenital Heart Center
Pediatric Critical Care
Steven Choi, MD, Critical Care Director
Karen Underwood, MD, Associate Chief Critical Care
Lisa Grimaldi, MD, Director of Education
Brigham Willis, MD, Director of Cardiopulmonary Research
Eunice Yoon-Willis, MD, PhD, Director of Performance Improvement and Patient Safety
Referrals and Consultations to the Scott and Laura Eller Congenital Heart Center
For more information about our services, please contact us at 1-877-602-4111.
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Virtrual Tour
Welcome to the Eller Congenital Heart Center. View a tour of our facilities.
Register now for the First Phoenix Fetal Cardiology Symposium on Oct. 3-Nov. 1, 2008. For more information and to register log onto www.fetalcardio.com |
