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. Children and teens with known or suspected congenital or childhood 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 then recommend and coordinate a care plan for your child’s diagnosis.

Learn more about cardiac conditions we treat at the Heart Institute.

What to expect at your child’s first pediatric cardiology appointment

During the initial appointment, most patients receive an electrocardiogram (EKG) and an echocardiogram (ECHO). These tests are non-invasive, not painful and performed in a safe and friendly environment by our technicians who care for patients with a full range of pediatric heart conditions, from common to very rare. 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.

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 their heart rate and blood pressure, and then escort you to an examination room.

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 additional heart tests, including exercise testing, 6-minute walk tests, 24-hour Holter monitoring, event recorders, tilt table testing and specialty echocardiograms.

We also conduct subspecialty pediatric cardiology clinics at several locations. These subspecialties 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). 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 locations in the Denver Metro and Colorado Springs areas 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. 

The same pediatric cardiologists from larger locations visit Children's Colorado's other locations 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 hospital on Anschutz Medical Campus for further specialty testing and treatment.