The Heart Center at University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital brings help and hope to pediatric heart patients. We’re saving lives through innovation— leading the nation in developing new treatment methods for kids of all ages. Over the last three years, the Heart Center has demonstrated some of the best success rates of pediatric heart programs in the country. And, for the 11th consecutive year, University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital has earned a spot among the best children’s hospitals in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.

We provide outstanding care for advanced heart failure, including mechanical circulatory support, ventricular assist devices and transplant. We are one of only 30 heart centers in the U.S. and the only one in the Twin Cities to be accredited by the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation. We are also one of only 23 centers in the U.S. and one of the only two in the Twin Cities designated as a LifeTrac Center of Excellence for congenital heart disease (CHD) and transplant/ventricular assist device (VAD).

Why parents choose us

We offer:

• A dedicated team of 16 Cardiologists, 2 Surgeons, 6 Cardiac Care Intensivists, 3 Cardiac Anesthesiologists, and 10 Advanced Practice Providers 
• A 12-bed cardiac intensive care unit
• Private rooms that help avoid infections and other complications 
• High-level academic research and skilled practitioners
• Platinum Level ECMO Center of Excellence 

• largest Fetal Cardiology Program
• only Exercise Physiology Program
• only Preventive Cardiology Program
• only comprehensive program for pulmonary hypertension
• only single center Adult Congenital Heart Program

Innovation with children in mind

• The Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve^®—the first transcatheter valve approved for children—restores pulmonary valve function, delaying open heart surgery as long as possible.
• Our state-of-the-art pediatric hybrid catheterization lab combines surgery and catheter-based treatments for children.

We have achieved many breakthroughs, including:

• First successful open-heart surgery using hypothermia
• First repair of a ventricular-septal defect, a hole in one of the heart’s chambers
• First repair of tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect involving three or four malformations of the heart (including narrowing of the valve that pumps blood to the lungs [pulmonary stenosis], an aorta that connects both ventricles, a ventricular septal defect and thickened right ventricular wall)
• First use of a pacemaker
• World’s first heart transplant on an infant (youngest patient just one month old)
• First in Minnesota to implant a Berlin Heart EXCOR^®pediatric ventricular-assist device, which keeps the heart beating while a child waits for a heart donor.
• First hospital in Minnesota to perform transcatheter PDA closure procedures in premature newborns as small as 1 kilogram.
• First Stage I Hybrid Norwood in the Upper Midwest, a nonsurgical treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or underdeveloped mitral valve, left ventricle, aortic valve and aorta.
• First in the U.S. to implant HeartMate™ in a child with single ventricle physiology.
• First hospital in the Midwest to implant the Micra™ leadless pacemaker in a pediatric patient.

 Our cardiologists see patients in the Twin Cities metro area as well as those from neighboring states and provide state-of-the-art services such as ablation, ventricular-assist devices, catheterization, surgery and transplantation.

Research and innovation

Our pediatric cardiology team currently conducts clinical and epidemiologic studies of:

• Metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors related to obesity that increase the possibility of heart disease
• Insulin resistance, when the body produces insulin but doesn’t use it properly, which increases the possibility of heart disease
• Cardiovascular risk factors

In addition, our team is exploring minimally invasive ways to repair heart lesions.

Specialized programs

The Heart Center has several programs designed to help children with specific needs.

The Preventive Cardiology Program aims to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes in children. This comprehensive preventive program provides an integrated approach, including risk assessment for children and families, lifestyle consultations, clinical care and opportunities to participate in clinical research studies. We believe that a family-oriented approach is essential for a successful outcome, and the entire family participates.

The programs includes:

• Lipid Clinic
• Weight Management Clinic
• Type II Diabetes Clinic

The Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Cardiovascular Genetics Program is designed to meet the growing needs of older teens and adult patients with congenital heart disease and genetic or acquired conditions. An adult cardiologist, two pediatric cardiologists, an echocardiographer and a genetic counselor staff the program.