Inova Children’s Heart Center’s interventional cardiology program offers a full complement of diagnostic and therapeutic options for children with known or suspected congenital or acquired cardiac problems. As the largest pediatric interventional program in Northern Virginia, we perform hundreds of procedures yearly on patients ranging from birth through adulthood.
Innovative techniques and equipment have allowed catheterization procedures to replace traditional surgical approaches for many patients, decreasing recovery time and length of hospital stay. Children with congenital heart disease may benefit from one of the medically advanced, minimally invasive procedures performed in one of our dedicated pediatric cardiac catheterization labs.
Our specialists use catheters, balloons and stents designed uniquely for infants and children to open or dilate narrowed blood vessels and heart valves. Cardiac catheterization procedures may also be used to close areas where blood is not supposed to flow, enabling children to avoid open heart surgery. Often, these procedures can be done with patients going home the same day or a day later.
The interventional procedures commonly performed at Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital include:
Common Procedures
- Catheter deployed pulmonary valve placement
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure, including premature babies
- Device closure of septal defects, mechanical perivalvular leaks, and abnormal vessel patency
- Balloon angioplasty and balloon expandable stenting to address blood vessel narrowing, including pulmonary artery stenoses, aortic coarctation, and systemic venous stenosis
- Hybrid interventions
- Pulmonary Atresia
- Placing a Melody®, Sapien or Harmony™ valve to replace the pulmonary valve
- Embolizing (coiling/plugging) abnormal vessels in the heart or lungs
Our team