Heart care that changes children’s lives
We have helped hundreds of children, such as Eddie, who have congenital and acquired heart defects, lead normal healthy lives.
If diagnosed with heart disease, your child will be in the best hands possible at The Heart Center at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital.
Why parents choose us
- Dedicated heart care professionals, surgeons and specialists who work side-by-side to repair heart defects in children
- A 12-bed intensive care unit with providers who care exclusively for heart patients
- Private rooms that help promote faster healing and avoid infections and other complications
- Academic research, innovation and skilled practitioners who provide care that is at the forefront of pediatric heart care
Innovation with children in mind
Our providers constantly work to improve heart care for children. They have been recognized for research and ground-breaking treatments that help children like yours. Innovations include:
- The Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve®—the first transcatheter valve approved for children—to restore pulmonary valve function, while delaying open-heart surgery as long as possible
- Surgeons and catheterization doctors can work together efficiently
- If, in the process of repairing atrial septal defect, open-heart surgery becomes necessary, it can occur immediately rather than be rescheduled
- We were the first hospital in Minnesota to implant a Berlin Heart EXCOR® pediatric ventricular-assist device, which keeps the heart beating while a child waits for a heart donor
- Our physicians conducted the first Stage I Hybrid Norwood in the Upper Midwest, nonsurgical treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or underdeveloped mitral valve, left ventricle, aortic valve and aorta
- Physicians at The Heart Center also performed the world’s first:
- Successful open-heart surgery using hypothermia
- Repair of a ventricular-septal defect, a hole in one of the heart’s chambers
- Repair of tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect with three or four malformations (including narrowing of the valve that pumps blood to the lungs [pulmonary stenosis], aorta that connects to both ventricles, ventricular septal defect and thickened right ventricular wall)
- Use of a pacemaker
The Heart Center Care Team
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Nutrition
Pediatric Cardiology
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Health Care Support
Our Providers Make the Difference
Fairview features nearly 4,000 providers practicing at over 200 locations throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and beyond. Fairview Clinics, University of Minnesota Physicians and our independent partner clinics provide an exceptional care experience, while lowering the overall costs of health care.
Locations by city:
Burnsville
Edina
Maple Grove
Minneapolis
Saint Paul
Our Providers Make the Difference
Fairview features nearly 4,000 providers practicing at over 200 locations throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and beyond. Fairview Clinics, University of Minnesota Physicians and our independent partner clinics provide an exceptional care experience, while lowering the overall costs of health care.
Meet some of our patients
Gracie gives back - from the heart
Gracie was born with a hole in her heart. Her parents, Kirsten and Dillon Okimosh, knew she would eventually have to have surgery but they didn't think it would be when she was only three-and-a-half years-old. Read more...
Important perinatal diagnosis
Renee’s husband, Alex, was born with a bicuspid aortic valve so when Renee became pregnant, her physician recommended that she have a ultrasound on the baby’s heart. On the ultrasound, the attending physician noticed Renee’s baby ... Read more...
Two sisters - same heart defect
Mark and Lori waited at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital while their 23-month-old daughter, Josie, had surgery to repair three atrial septal defects (ASD), or holes in her heart. A year later, they returned while their second child, Jenna, had her ASD repaired. Read more...
A toddler gets a chance at life
One-and-a-half year-old Eddie has bright red cheeks, adoration for his four older siblings, and an uncanny ability to charm everyone he meets. What he doesn’t have is a normally functioning heart. Read more...
Meet Lindon: A quadruplet needing special care
Gail and Wayne, welcomed quadruplets into the world. The quads spent their first month in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital. Four days into the infants’ NICU stay, doctors told Gail and Wayne that the second-born quad, Lindon, had a heart murmur. Read more...
Excellent outcomes for a 9-month-old infant
During an ultrasound at 20 weeks pregnant, Kari’s obstetrician noticed that the heart chamber of the baby appeared thicker than normal. Read more...
