Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects affecting newborns. Most heart defects, ranging from simple to complex heart defects, can be diagnosed before birth in the fetus. Hearing about a fetal heart defect during pregnancy can be overwhelming. The fetal heart program at Driscoll Children’s Hospital is designed with a dedicated team of fetal cardiologists, sonographers, heart surgeons, maternal fetal medicine specialists, nurse coordinators and social workers to help you navigate through the process. Our fetal heart care team will collaborate with you to plan for care of your fetus in an unbiased manner throughout pregnancy. We offer resources for you to plan for delivery and care for your baby after birth.

Our well-established fetal heart program performs more than 1,200 fetal echocardiograms each year providing services at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi and various satellite locations across South Texas.

The visit begins with welcoming you to the outpatient office where you will meet with our medical assistants, fetal nurse, fetal echo tech and fetal cardiologist. The appointment time is about 60 minutes, where we will have an opportunity to learn about your health, pregnancy, identify fetal heart issues, and develop a plan of care based on the findings.

We work in close conjunction with your obstetrician, maternal-fetal medicine, and the neonatology team.
If your fetus needs heart surgery after birth, our pediatric cardiac surgical team and neonatology team will meet with you before delivery and discuss the management options in detail to develop a care plan.

Our robust cardiac surgical program, supported by our cardiac anesthesiology and pediatric cardiac critical care programs, has outcomes that are among the best in the nation.

Our dedicated fetal nurse will work with you and your family to ensure that you are supported with all required resources and have access to the cardiology team.