Fetal Heart Program

Newly diagnosed patients will be seen by multiple doctors and specialists. A fetal care coordinator will be your point person - organizing your doctor's appointments, and trying to get them all on the same day, if possible.

• Collaborative care: Our multidisciplinary care team works together for you and your baby.  The remainder of your pregnancy is managed by a maternal-fetal medicine specialist who collaborates with your fetal cardiologist.  Your team can also include pediatric cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, neonatal and pediatric intensivists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and more. This team works closely with you to develop a detailed care plan.
• Highest level NICU in the area: Our Level IV NICU has the region’s largest team of neonatologists providing the highest level of care to infants. We are unique in that we are the only hospital in the state of Georgia where Labor & Delivery is located just steps away from our NICU, so you will be able to visit your baby as often as you are able after birth and during their treatment. 
• Home Monitoring Program: After surgery, infants may be able to leave the hospital to recover at home while waiting on their next surgery. The Home Monitoring Program partners with parents to show them how to successfully care for their child between surgeries.

If your obstetrician suspects a congenital heart defect due to a family history, or because of a suspicious ultrasound, ask to be referred to our fetal care coordinator. 

Planning for your delivery

Depending on the type and complexity of your baby’s heart defect, we may have you deliver at Augusta University Medical Center, so your baby can have immediate access to our NICU and a pediatric cardiology evaluation. 

When you are between 32 to 35 weeks pregnant your team will hold a family meeting. This includes tours of our NICU and PICU. Your family will get to meet with the entire care team to review your birth plan and go over any questions you have before delivery.

What happens after delivery?

Your child will most likely be transferred to our NICU and may remain here until discharge or surgery.  If your child needs surgery, they will be transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for post-operative care.

Follow-up care

While it's possible that your child may not require additional surgery, with more complex heart defects, they may require a series of procedures. Continued medical management may also be needed. After their initial procedure, your child will continue to receive follow-up care at our outpatient office where their pediatric cardiologist will provide ongoing management and surgical referrals as needed.

There are many kinds of congenital heart defects that we can detect in babies before they are born or immediately following birth.  Some common heart defects we see are:

• Ventricular septal defects, defects of the inlet heart valves.
• Tetralogy of Fallot, is a combination of heart defects that affect the way the heart functions.
• Transposition of the great vessels, when the two arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs and body are connected to the incorrect pumping chamber.
• Total anomalous pulmonary venous return, the pulmonary veins attach to the cardiovascular system in the wrong place causing poorly oxygenated blood to mix with oxygenated blood. This lack of oxygen causes babies to appear blue (cyanotic).
• Single ventricle heart defect, when only one ventricle is large enough or strong enough to pump blood effectively.
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, during development in utero, the left side of the heart does not form correctly, causing blood to flow abnormally through the heart.
• Fetal arrhythmia, is when the heart beats irregularly in utero.
• Hydrops, is when a heart defect or rhythm abnormality limits the heart function, or other organ is functioning poorly, causing fluid to build up in the abdomen, and around the heart and lungs of an unborn baby.