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Pediatric cardiologists specialize in heart disease in children, with most working with those with congenital heart defects. Becoming a pediatric cardiologist requires 14 years of training, including a three-year fellowship in pediatric cardiology. Subspecialties include catheterizations, echocardiograms, and electrophysiology. Pediatric cardiologists do not perform surgery but help determine surgical options and provide before and after care. Heart defects are common birth defects, and pediatric cardiologists may see patients only once or follow them through childhood and into adulthood. The field is optimistic about future developments in patient care.
A pediatric cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in heart disease in children. These doctors spend most of their time working with children with congenital heart defects (CHDs), but they treat some of the acquired heart conditions that occur during childhood. As with many pediatric specialties, it takes considerable dedication, time, and effort to become a pediatric cardiologist.
To become a pediatric cardiologist, an individual earns an undergraduate degree and studies medicine. Medical school is followed by a three-year residency in pediatrics and a three-year fellowship in pediatric cardiology, adding up to 14 years of training before board certification. This path is different from one to become an adult cardiologist, as adult cardiologists do not complete pediatric residencies and focus primarily on acquired adult heart disease. With the increasing success of surgical interventions for children with severe heart problems, the integration of the two fields is developing, and some pediatric cardiologists are specializing in working with adults with congenital heart disease. Cardiologists could also study CHDs to serve a growing adult population with them.
A pediatric cardiologist may be interested in subspecialties in this field. Some physicians perform interventions and screening with catheterizations. Others use advanced echocardiograms such as transesophageal echocardiograms or fetal echocardiograms for higher-level diagnoses. Electrophysiology, another subspecialty, assesses the heart’s electrical system and employs interventions to restore rhythm. Most pediatric cardiologists are capable of performing basic catheterizations, electrical studies, and echoes, but defer to more experienced colleagues when the necessary tests or interventions are more complex.
One subspecialty area not included in the pediatric cardiologist field is pediatric cardiothoracic surgery. Although surgeons and cardiologists typically work together in determining patient care, their ways of studying to arrive at separate careers are quite different. A pediatric cardiologist is not a surgeon, but will help determine surgical options, provide before and after care for patients, and be the primary physician caring for children who have had surgical interventions.
Heart defects are the most common birth defects, affecting around eight out of 100 children born. Many defects are small and never require surgery, but children may still need periodic checkups with a pediatric cardiologist to determine if their health remains good. Most children will need to visit a major hospital to see a pediatric cardiologist, as many of these physicians work in tertiary hospitals with a full complement of pediatric specialists.
Pediatric cardiologists see many patients only once and can rule out heart defects or heart problems through their exams. Other times they know the children very well, following them through childhood and sometimes keeping them as adult patients if they have complex heart conditions. The field is an exciting one, where improvements in surgical and interventional technique have led to improved survivability of some of the most difficult defects and conditions. It continues to be characterized by an optimism about what clinicians can do today and also about the ways in which future developments will lead to better patient care.
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