Pediatric Cardiology Clinic

The outpatient Pediatric Cardiology Clinic at Children's Hospital Colorado is usually a patient's first stop at the Heart Institute after a referral from a primary care doctor. Kids with known or suspected heart disease are seen by one of our board-certified pediatric cardiologists who will meet with your family and assess your child’s heart. We will then recommend and coordinate a care plan for your child’s diagnosis.

What to expect at your child’s first Pediatric Cardiology Clinic appointment

Your family will be greeted by our front desk coordinators who will check you in and then transfer you to a nursing team. Our specialized cardiac nurses will weigh and measure your child, take his heart rate and blood pressure, and then escort you to an examination room.

During the initial appointment, most kids receive an electrocardiogram (EKG) and an echocardiogram (ECHO). These tests are nothing for your child to be afraid of; they’re non-invasive, not painful, and performed in a safe and friendly environment by our technicians who care for kids and only kids. These two tests, along with an examination and review of your child’s medical history, usually provide enough information for a cardiologist to make a diagnosis and develop a plan for ongoing cardiac care.

How long will it take?

You should plan to be in the Pediatric Cardiology Clinic for up to three hours for your child’s first visit. We know this is a lengthy appointment, but our goal is to complete the tests, be able to make a diagnosis, and discuss our care plan with you all on the same day. We find this helps save time and reduces stress on you and your child. Occasionally, children will need to come back for further testing.

Other tests and subspecialty cardiology clinics

In addition to the routine EKG and ECHO tests, we might perform exercise testing, six-minute walk tests, 24-hour Holter monitoring, event recorders, tilt table testing, and specialty echocardiograms.

We also conduct subspecialty Pediatric Cardiology Clinics at the hospital’s Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora and South Campus in Highlands Ranch. These subspecialty clinics include arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy/congestive heart failure, complex congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension and heart transplant.

Scheduling your first visit

To set up your child’s initial appointment at our general cardiology clinic you can call us at 720-777-6355, or your child’s primary care doctor can make a referral to the Heart Institute and our schedulers will contact you directly. The schedulers will gather your child’s information (name, age, address, symptoms or clinical diagnosis, and insurance information), and our financial counselors are available to help you through the process of applying for healthcare coverage if you don’t have insurance.

An appointment close to home

We’ll schedule your appointment at one of several cardiology settings based on where you live: Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, South Campus in Highlands Ranch, one of our Network of Care facilities, or in one of our regional outreach clinics. The schedulers will try to set up your appointment as soon as possible, usually within five days, and sooner if necessary. We’ll also try to schedule you in the facility closest to your home when appropriate.

General cardiology at our Network of Care locations

In addition to the Anschutz Medical Campus and South Campus, we also have satellite clinics at Network of Care facilities throughout Metro Denver. The same pediatric cardiologists from our main hospitals visit these clinics and are available to examine your child, make a diagnosis and discuss treatment with your family. If necessary, a patient may need to be referred to our Anschutz Medical Campus for further specialty testing and treatment.

These Network of Care clinics are close to your home, easily accessible, and offer the pediatric heart care you can expect at our hospitals. When possible, follow-up appointments are also made in your same local Network of Care clinic.

Learn more about your visit to the Heart Institute.