Fetal Heart Program
Expertise in Congenital Heart Problems Before Birth
Nemours Children’s fetal heart specialists give babies born with heart conditions the best possible chance of survival, and quality of life. From before birth through delivery and beyond, you get complete care from a team of fetal cardiologists, coordinators, psychologists, maternal fetal medicine experts, obstetricians, perinatologists, surgeons and many others.
Kids born with heart conditions do better with early and correct diagnosis, and appropriate treatment planning. Nemours offers highly accurate diagnostics using fetal echocardiograms, fetal MRI and other tests as early as 12 weeks in pregnancy in some cases. If we find something, our team coordinates care for after delivery.
Our specialists are nationally recognized for their expertise in perinatal cardiology and are part of award-winning children’s heart centers in Delaware and Florida. We partner closely with our fetal medicine team and highly skilled advanced practice providers and nurses to care for you and your baby. You may even deliver at our children’s hospital in Delaware.
Nemours delivers excellence in all we do. We participate in national networks that measure quality and diagnostic accuracy. Our outcomes are among the best. We’re also involved in research with multiple medical institutions to improve care for newborns everywhere.
Our Services
We go well beyond medicine to care for your whole family. We work with you and our hospital partners to coordinate delivery plans. This ensures you and your baby get the best care possible.
If your baby needs surgery or a procedure after birth, you meet your entire team before delivery. We empower you with information and support throughout the journey.
As a team, we coordinate services that may include:
- Fetal echocardiogram with diagnostics as early as the 12th to 14th week of pregnancy in high-risk situations
- Fetal MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, if needed
- Additional testing such as maternal hyperoxygenation and MRI when needed to plan care around delivery in Delaware, and immediately after
- Complex medical management for conditions that affect a baby’s heart and blood vessels while they're in the womb
- Fetal arrhythmia and heart rhythm management
- Fetal heart failure and cardiomyopathy management
- Cardiac psychology support to help your family from diagnosis through birth and beyond
- Treatment planning and care after birth, which may include interventional procedures, electrophysiology procedures or newborn heart surgery
- Onsite delivery program in Delaware for healthy moms
- Cardiovascular genetics testing and counseling for rare syndromes and hereditary heart diseases
- Cardiac critical care and specialized heart monitoring
- Neonatal critical care, including the highest (Level IV) care designation and advanced life support for newborns
- Follow-up cardiology care and specialized programs from birth through age 40
- Cardiac neurodevelopmental services for your child as they grow
- Heart transplantation in Delaware
“We would put our trust in Dr. Pizarro all over again.”
A fetal echocardiogram helps doctors find problems in your baby’s heart before birth. Learn more about this test from the experts at Nemours KidsHealth®.
A congenital heart defect is a heart problem a baby is born with. Find out the most common types of defects and how they’re treated.
Are you heart smart? Learn all about the heart, heart conditions, treatments and heart healthy living tips.
- Vea Story
- echocardio
- congenital
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Two Leading Pediatric Heart Centers
Our heart centers offer highly advanced, integrated care just for kids and young adults with congenital heart disease. Learn about our focused programs, innovative research and exceptional outcomes.
Cardiac Conditions & Treatments
We see many conditions — far too many to list here. The conditions we treat vary depending on the location and providers selected. Don’t see a condition listed? Call us.
Related Specialties & Programs
Caring for the Tiniest Hearts
Nemours fetal heart specialists are experts in developing hearts. We have years of training and experience in the full range of congenital heart defects. You can trust us when it matters most.
12 weeks
Earliest week we can diagnose certain heart conditions
3,000+
Number of fetal hearts cared for each year, across locations
300+
Heart surgeries we perform each year, 20 to 25% of which are newborns
We offer advanced fetal echocardiogram technology so we can see more of what’s going on in your baby’s heart.
Our fetal heart specialists review cases and discuss treatment plans as a team. When we work together, your baby gets our very best.
Nemours is researching new and better ways to help babies, including safer diagnostic imaging for newborns without contrast dye or sedation.
You can get routine, follow-up care for your baby at several convenient locations in Central, Northwest and Northeast Florida, at locations that may be closer to home.
Caring for the Tiniest Hearts
Nemours fetal heart specialists are experts in developing hearts. We have years of training and experience in the full range of congenital heart defects. You can trust us when it matters most.
12 weeks
Earliest week we can diagnose certain heart conditions
3,000+
Number of fetal hearts cared for each year, across locations
300+
Heart surgeries we perform each year, 20 to 25% of which are newborns
We offer advanced 12-lead fetal echocardiogram technology in Delaware. This means we can see more of what’s going on in your baby’s heart.
Our fetal heart specialists meet every week to review cases and discuss treatment plans. When we work together, your baby gets our very best.
We provide the highest level of care with outcomes among the best, exceeding national averages.
We’re researching new and better ways to help babies, including safer diagnostic imaging for newborns without contrast dye or sedation.
You can get routine, follow-up care at several convenient locations throughout the Delaware Valley/Greater Philadelphia that may be closer to home.
Meet the Team
Nemours fetal heart teams are experienced and focused on your child's healthiest future. Meet them now.
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Abdul Majeed Bhat, MD
Cardiology Associate Professor at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrimary Office
Wilmington, DE -
Richard Owen Lorber, MD
Cardiology Medical Director, Fetal Heart ProgramPrimary Office
Wilmington, DE -
Shannon Nees, MD
Cardiology Director, Cardiovascular Genetics Program; Associate Program Director, Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship; Co-Chair, Scholarly Oversight CommitteePrimary Office
Wilmington, DE -
Christian Pizarro, MD
Cardiothoracic Surgery Chair, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine; Director, Cardiac Center; Chief, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery; Director, Heart Transplantation Program Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrimary Office
Wilmington, DE -
Erica Dolores Sood, PhD
Psychology Director, Cardiac Learning and Development (LEAD) Associate Professor of Pediatric Psychology, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrimary Office
Wilmington, DE -
Shubhika Srivastava, MD
Cardiology Division Chief Cardiology, Co-Director Cardiac Center; Medical Director, Echocardiography, Congenital Echocardiography, Fetal Echocardiography Professor of Pediatrics — Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrimary Office
Wilmington, DE -
Sharon M. Weinberger, MD
Cardiology Assistant Professor at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrimary Office
Wilmington, DE -
Abbas Haider Zaidi, MD
Cardiology Medical Director, Outpatient Cardiology Clinic Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrimary Office
Wilmington, DE
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Alejandro Redaelli Arevalo, MD
Cardiology Director, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Lab-PensacolaPrimary Office
Pensacola, FL -
Katherine T. Braley, MD
Cardiology Medical Director, Fetal Heart Program, Director of Fetal EchocardiographyPrimary Office
Orlando, FL -
Vanessa Hormaza, MD
Cardiology -
Erica Dolores Sood, PhD
Psychology Director, Cardiac Learning and Development (LEAD) Associate Professor of Pediatric Psychology, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPrimary Office
Wilmington, DE
Have Your Baby Here
The Nemours Advanced Delivery Program allows healthy moms to deliver at our children’s hospital in Delaware. This means your baby can get the critical care they need right away.
If you can’t deliver here, we have advanced neonatal transport equipped with lifesaving technology. We’ll get your baby here safely and quickly.
Care That Goes Beyond Medicine
When your family comes to Nemours, you’re well cared for. We want you to understand your child’s condition and how to help them stay healthy and succeed. We help you find community resources for your family. We also offer many supportive services, like social work, lodging at nearby Ronald McDonald Houses, creative therapies, pet therapy, Child Life programs and much more.
Convenient Follow-Up Appointments by Video
We offer follow-up appointments through scheduled, live video visits. You can avoid waiting rooms and save travel time. Ask your doctor if this is an option for your family.