Children’s Advanced Heart Therapies

Heart failure in a child, whether in early infancy or late teens, can be a life-threatening condition that arises suddenly and causes stress and uncertainty for your child and family. Heart failure can appear in a newborn baby, a school-age child, or a teen living with undiagnosed heart disease for years.

If your child experiences heart failure, they are in excellent hands with the specialists at the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center. 

Learn more about heart failure in children

Contact Us

Schedule an Appointment

International Patients

Appointment E-Mail

What to Expect: Treating Your Child for Pediatric Heart Failure

There are options available for managing heart failure, treating the underlying cause and slowing heart disease progression.
 

Our goal is to investigate all the available approaches that could improve your child’s health and quality of life, including medication, the use of a ventricular assist device and, when necessary, heart transplantation.

Specialized Care in Our Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU)

Children and teens undergoing heart transplants or other heart surgery receive highly specialized care in our PCICU. Here, pediatric cardiologists and specialists in pediatric intensive care work together to monitor your child after surgery and strengthen the foundation for his or her recovery. 


Meet Evan

For weeks, Gretchen and Jason Biringer thought their 7-year-old son, Evan, had the flu because the typically energetic boy was lethargic. When Evan’s nailbeds turned purple and he had trouble breathing, they took him to the local emergency room, and he was then transported via helicopter to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The family learned that Evan had biventricular heart failure and would need a heart transplant.

"We focus our experience and skill on giving your child the best chance for a healthy and happy life, and remain committed to your child and your family throughout the duration of treatment and recovery.”

William Ravekes, M.D.
US News & World Report: Best Children's Hospitals, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, 2021-22

Why choose the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center for pediatric heart failure and children’s heart transplant?

The full range of treatments.

We have access to the latest advances in heart failure therapy and skill in providing comprehensive, effective care for your child.
pediatric electrophysiology - purple heart icon

Expertise.

Our experts in heart failure and transplantation have extensive experience treating heart failure in children of all ages.
pediatric electrophysiology - purple stethoscope

Individualized care for your child and family.

Our team works closely with each family to create a personalized treatment plan that offers your child the best long-term outcome, along with resources for the entire family.
pediatric electrophysiology - purple small hand in larger hand icon

Emotional support.

Heart failure and heart transplantation in a child calls for care across a range of specialties. Caring and compassionate child life specialists and pediatric psychiatrists nurture children’s emotional and social well-being as they progress through each step of treatment and recovery.
pediatric electrophysiology - gray hands holding purple heart icon