Programs & Labs

The Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Yale is directed by Dr. Jeremy Asnes and and includes a dedicated team trained in advanced interventional techniques including Dr. William Hellenbrand and Dr. Britton Keeshan. It has a long history of innovation and continues to be a pioneer in minimally invasive therapies for congenital heart disease. The laboratory performs diagnostic and interventional catheterization procedures in children and adults with congenital heart disease across the age spectrum. Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital recently opened its new digital pediatric catheterization suite with state-of-the-art equipment that allows for a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Procedures commonly performed include closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Our's is the only congenial cardiac catheterization laboratory in the State of Connecticut that offers transcatheter pulmonary valve replacements, including the Melody and Edwards valves. Our team has expertise in non-surgical transcatheter treatment of aortic and pulmonary valve stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, intravascular stent placement for narrowed arteries and vessels and blood vessel coil occlusion. Our interventional team also works collaboratively with our pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons to deliver the most innovative hybrid procedures that are intended to minimize operative time and difficulty while improving patient safety.

Members of the congenital cardiac catheterization lab are actively involved in a number of clinical trials to push the non-invasive boundaries to replace pulmonary valves and close atrial septal defects. We participate in pediatric interventional catheterization consortiums and lead efforts to advance the understanding of congenital heart disease and provide the best possible care for patients.

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The Cardiogenetics program brings together strengths at the Yale School of Medicine by combining into one clinic the fields of cardiology and medical genetics. This busy and growing clinic is directed by Dr. Martina Brueckner and Dr. James McGrath and meets regularly to care for complex patients and families with congenital heart disease. The target patient population includes patients with a known syndrome that has cardiovascular involvement such as structural congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathies, and vascular disease, including (but are not limited to) William, Marfan, DiGeroge, Down, Noonan and Turner syndromes. Additionally, the clinic sees patients with diagnosed or suspected cardiovascular disease and additional signs or symptoms suggestive of a syndrome. Examples are associated birth defects, growth failure not explained by the cardiovascular disease, developmental delay or dystrophic features. The clinic provides comprehensive care and state-of-the-art genetic testing including chromosomal microarray and whole exome sequencing. Patients and families will receive dedicated counseling for the cardiovascular manifestations as well as the important genetic implications.

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The Pediatric Echocardiography Laboratory at the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital provides state-of-the-art non-invasive assessment of cardiac anatomy and physiology in an environment that is designed for the comfort and ease of children and their families. The Pediatric Echo Lab recently underwent a major renovation that created additional imaging suites, a redesigned digital echo reading area and improved access and space for our patients and their families. Each imaging suite is equipped with Television and DVD players to make children more comfortable during their evaluation. The Pediatric echo service performs more than 3,500 studies per year, which encompass transthoracic, transesophageal, 3-dimensional and intracardiac approaches. The Pediatric echo service plays an important role in pre- and intraoperative surgical assessment and planning as well as in the interventional cardiac catheterization laboratory. We offer sedated echocardiograms for children who are unable to be cooperative with standard imaging approaches.

The Yale Fetal Cardiovascular Center was one of the first Centers of its kind, founded by pioneer Dr. Charles Kleinman. Each year, more than 1,000 fetal echocardiograms are performed in women whose pregnancy may be affected by congenital heart disease or arrhythmia. The Center provides a multidisciplinary approach to comprehensive care with physicians from Maternal - Fetal Medicine, Pediatric Cardiology and Perinatal Medicine as well as Genetic Counselors.

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The Pediatric and Adult Congenital Electrophysiology Program at Yale New Haven Hospital offers comprehensive care for patients with the full spectrum of arrhythmia or conduction problems. A multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Cheyenne Beach and Nancy Rollinson, APRN, cares for patients from infancy to adulthood with heart rhythm abnormalities. Our group offers transcatheter electrophysiology studies and ablations using radiofrequency, cryoablation, 3D mapping and minimal radiation techniques; pacemaker and defibrillator placement and management; and implantable cardiac monitor placement and management. We provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient consultations of children and adults from across the State of Connecticut with congenital heart disease and heart rhythm disorders. In addition, we provide care for the growing number of families identified with genetically inherited diseases related to heart rhythm problems and offer comprehensive genetic counseling.

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The Fetal Cardiology Program at Yale New Haven Hospital provides comprehensive care for women whose pregnancy may be affected by congenital heart disease or arrhythmia in the fetus. This program focuses on fetal echocardiography followed by consultation with one of our fetal cardiologists, Dr. Dina Ferdman and Dr. Ruchika Karnik, at the same visit. The fetal echocardiography service performs several hundred fetal echocardiograms a year. The consultations are provided to any woman suspected of carrying a fetus with a cardiac anomaly, or at risk of carrying a fetus with a cardiac anomaly. The visit entails a detailed discussion of the fetal cardiac diagnosis, explanation of its implications on the fetus and after birth for the baby and counseling on treatment options. We work closely with physicians from Maternal Fetal Medicine and Neonatology in the Yale Fetal Care Center and with our Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery team to provide comprehensive, seamless care from the time of diagnosis, throughout pregnancy and including after delivery.

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We are proud to be the first and only children’s hospital in Connecticut to provide pediatric heart transplant and mechanical cardiac assist device program for children with end stage heart failure. By delivering expert evaluation, management and treatment at one location, our Children’s Heart Center offers children and their families access to a full range of medical and surgical care for heart failure closer to home. The program is co-directed by Dr. Kevin Hall, who is the Director of Pediatric Heart Failure.

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