Paediatric Cardiology

Our paediatric cardiology teams care for children’s hearts from the newborn period up to the age of 17. We diagnose and manage a wide range of childhood heart conditions, using echocardiography, heart-rhythm monitoring and fetal heart scans during pregnancy. Our specialists stay involved from the first appointment through treatment and long-term follow-up.

What is paediatric cardiology?

Paediatric cardiology is a specialty focused on heart conditions in children. It covers conditions babies are born with, known as congenital heart disease, as well as conditions that develop later in childhood. These may be structural, affecting how the heart is formed, or related to the heart's rhythm and electrical activity. Where needed, care transitions to adult cardiology later in life.

When should you see a paediatric cardiologist?

Book an appointment if you notice:

• A heart murmur a doctor has heard
• A baby who feeds poorly, tires quickly, or has rapid breathing while feeding
• A child who faints, especially during exercise
• A fast or irregular heartbeat
• A family history of heart problems or congenital heart disease

A baby or child whose lips or skin turn blue or grey, who is struggling to breathe, or who becomes limp or unresponsive needs emergency care: call for emergency help straight away.

Many children are seen simply because a doctor heard a murmur during a routine check, or because a newborn oxygen-level check (pulse oximetry) flagged something to look into. Some heart conditions are found during pregnancy, when a fetal echocardiogram spots a problem.

What to expect

At the first visit, you'll meet the paediatric cardiologist, who asks about your child's symptoms and family history and listens to their heart. Tests often include an ECG and an echocardiogram, a painless, safe and accurate ultrasound of the heart. Depending on the results, your child may also wear a small monitor at home to record their heartbeat.

What happens next depends on what the tests show. Many heart murmurs are harmless, while some conditions need only monitoring. Others may be treated with medicines or a catheter procedure to close an opening or widen a narrowed valve without open surgery. More complex conditions may require paediatric heart surgery. Your child's specialist will explain the treatment options and recommend the most appropriate next step.

Paediatric cardiology at Mediclinic

We provide paediatric cardiology at our hospitals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We assess congenital and childhood heart conditions using ultrasound scans of the heart, an ECG and heart-rhythm monitoring your child can wear at home. Suspected problems can also be checked during pregnancy through fetal echocardiography. Older children may have an exercise test or a detailed scan of the heart when more information is needed. When surgery is required, our cardiology and surgical teams work together, with neonatal and paediatric intensive care available for children who need closer monitoring.

Working alongside our obstetrics teams, we also provide detailed fetal heart scans during pregnancy. If a heart condition is identified, our paediatric cardiologists explain the condition, what it may mean for your baby and the available treatment and follow-up options.