Programs & Services

We know heart failure is a serious condition, but patients have many good treatment options available through the Phoenix Children’s Center for Heart Care. In addition to surgeries for congenital heart defects and other diseases, our heart team performs many device implants and heart transplants each year. 

We closely evaluate patients before recommending advanced therapies, such as heart-support devices, an artificial heart, or a heart transplant. Our team keeps patients and families fully informed about what to expect, including the risks and benefits of various procedures.

We also offer tailored diagnostic and therapeutic services, including:

• Advanced cardiac imaging and testing, including cardiac catheterization, echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), EKG, tissue biopsy, nuclear, MRI and CT scans.
• Arrhythmia care to evaluate and manage abnormal heart rhythms.
• Interventional cardiology for diagnosis and treatment of a variety of cardiovascular conditions.

Medical therapy prescribes medications to manage conditions such as high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, or fluid buildup. Our team also helps you manage any additional medications your child is taking to address other conditions.

When a diseased heart is no longer treatable with conventional therapies, the patient’s doctors may consider mechanical circulatory support (MCS), such as a ventricular assist device (VAD) or a total artificial heart (TAH) implant.

VAD is a mechanical pump used to support one or both ventricles (the lower chambers of the heart) to help the heart pump blood to vital organs and throughout the body. With some types of devices, patients can go home while they wait for a heart transplant.

Some patients need a TAH, which takes over the work of a poorly functioning heart. Our doctors select the most appropriate MCS device to help children feel and function better. In some instances, MCS is a lifesaving bridge for children awaiting an organ transplant.

The patient’s care team provides complete guidance and education at every turn. We will schedule follow-up outpatient clinic visits and discuss a treatment plan that includes ongoing care to monitor and manage implanted MCS devices.

If other alternatives are no longer effective in treating advanced heart failure, the Phoenix Children’s heart team may consider an organ transplant. When referred for heart transplant, the candidate and families are thoroughly screened by transplant experts across specialties, including medical providers as well as social workers, pharmacists, nutritionists and others.

Our heart transplant review process helps families to learn more as they make important lifestyle and treatment decisions. This process also allows our team to consider other treatment alternatives and determine the best options for support while waiting for a new heart. 

If a patient is approved for a heart transplant, we add their name to a national wait list with details about their condition and needs. When a compatible donor heart becomes available, our doctors check it for compatibility and other factors. 

The patient’s transplant care team will provide instructions and answer your heart transplant questions. Families receive support, guidance and helpful patient resources.

A critical care specialist is always available to provide round-the-clock care in the cardiovascular critical care intensive care unit (CVICU) at Phoenix Children’s Center for Heart Care. Critical care doctors, technicians, nurses and other specialists cooperate to stabilize, monitor and manage the patient’s condition.

After an organ transplant or other surgeries or extended illness, the patient may require inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. Our cardiac rehab team manages care and helps patients heal and grow stronger. Services include respiratory therapy, physical therapy and other therapies and support.