Fetal Cardiology Program

Questions for your doctor

About half of babies born with congenital heart defects can be diagnosed prior to birth. Click here for a checklist of key questions to ask at your next ultrasound appointment.

“10 Years and 150 procedures later …”

... Our Fetal Cardiology Program is still the innovation leader

On September 13, 2001, Boston Children's Hospital’s Fetal Cardiology Program made history: a team of Children’s pediatric cardiologists—along with maternal/fetal medicine specialists at Brigham and Women's Hospital—opened a baby’s pinched heart valve while that baby was still in his mother's womb.

This was the first successful fetal cardiac intervention in the world!

Jack Miller, born two months later on November 21, continues to thrive—and, like our program itself—has turned 10 years old!

Without fetal intervention, Jack would have been born with a rare congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). If Jack had been born with this defect, he:

would have had a 70% chance of survival
would have needed three surgeries by age 3
might have needed a heart transplant later in life

Instead of three or more major procedures, Jack had just one—with a total cost savings to family and insurers of more than $500,000.

Since 2001, we’ve performed more than 150 fetal interventions, and our experienced, skilled clinical team (still together 10 years later) has refined its techniques and process—for ever-better outcomes.

Learn more about our program.