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From bringing home a new baby to building trust with your teen, our pediatric experts share guidance to help you navigate the ups and downs of parenthood.
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Research & Innovation
It starts with a Q:
For the latest cutting-edge research, innovative collaborations and remarkable discoveries in child health, read stories from across all our areas of study in Q: Advances and Answers in Pediatric Health.
Cardiac Tests and Procedures
As the region’s leader in congenital and pediatric heart care, we provide extraordinary care and exceptional outcomes.
Doctors use different cardiac tests and procedures to diagnose, monitor and treat patients with congenital and childhood heart conditions. Some heart tests are often used on an ongoing basis in follow-up care and serve as a foundation for the excellent heart care provided at Children's Hospital Colorado’s nationally ranked Heart Institute.
As a cardiac patient, you or your child will undoubtedly experience one or more heart tests. Take some of the worry out of your child's heart tests by learning more about each test and what you can expect.
Chest X-ray
A pediatric chest X-ray is a non-invasive procedure that provides a picture of a child's heart, lungs and bones in the chest. It shows the location, size and shape of the heart, lungs and blood vessels. It can also show a doctor if there is fluid in the lungs.
A chest X-ray is useful for diagnosing pneumonia, tumors, a collapsed lung, congestive heart failure and rib fractures. It does not show any of the inside structures of the heart.
Having an X-ray taken is quick and painless. If your child is an outpatient, the X-ray is done in the Radiology Department. If your child is staying at Children’s Colorado, portable X-ray machines are sometimes brought to them so that they don’t have to be moved.
Cardiac catheterization
A heart cath is a minimally invasive procedure that gives doctors a better understanding of how each unique heart works by visualizing the heart chambers, arteries and veins. Children’s Colorado performs diagnostic and procedural heart catheterizations for patients as young as 3 days old all the way through adulthood for patients with adult congenital heart disease. Read more about cardiac catheterization.
Cardiac MRI and CT scan
A cardiac MRI is a test that uses a magnet to produce signals from the atoms within the body and then turns these signals into pictures of the body. A CT scan is a painless test that shows detailed images of the heart’s internal structures. Learn more about how these tests help diagnose and monitor heart problems for kids at Children’s Colorado.
Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram (ECHO) is a non-invasive test that uses sound waves to create images of the heart. This test helps doctors learn about the structure and blood flow of the heart, and it can show critical heart defects and structural or valve abnormalities in children of all ages. Our team of heart imaging specialists can find out more about your child’s heart by using tests like ECHO, fetal echocardiogram (fetal ECHO), three-dimensional imaging (3D ECHO) and transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). Read more about heart ECHOs.
Electrocardiogram (EKG), Holter monitor and Zio monitor
A pediatric electrocardiogram (EKG), Holter monitor, Zio monitor and event recorder are tests that record the heart’s electrical activity in or out of the hospital. Read more about how we monitor heart activity with EKGs and Holter and Zio monitors.
Electrophysiology study
An electrophysiology (EP) study is done in the Electrophysiology Lab to give more detailed information about the heart's electrical activity. Performed by specialists called cardiac electrophysiologists, an EP study allows them to see the electrical activity in the heart and treat problems called cardiac arrhythmias. Read more about EP studies.
Exercise test
Exercise testing is an important evaluation to understand the limitations of patients with congenital or acquired heart or lung disease. The laboratory also tests young athletes who may have problems during exercise to better understand any heart or lung conditions they might have. Cardiologists perform other tests when the patient is not moving, while exercise testing can help predict how a child will respond to the demands of exercise.
Exercise testing can be used to evaluate:
- Effects of surgery, catheterization or other treatments on your child’s heart function
- Capacity of the heart and lungs
- Symptoms your child might have during exercise, such as chest pain, fainting or asthma
Your child should wear exercise-style clothes and sneakers to the test. They should not eat for 1 to 2 hours before the test. Any medications can be given on their usual schedule unless you have been instructed otherwise. A technician will monitor your child for blood pressure, heart rhythm (with an electrocardiogram using stickers and wires), oxygen levels, symptoms and breathing before, during and after the exercise. Your child will exercise on either a stationary bicycle or treadmill for a short time.
- Metabolic gas exchange: measurement of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production
- Pulmonary function: measurement of lung function
- Pulse oximetry: measurement of the amount of oxygen carried in blood circulation
- Electrocardiography: measurement of heart rate and rhythm
- Blood pressure
- Rate of perceived exertion: measurement of subjective exercise intensity
- Workload resistance: measurement of power and work capacity
Lab tests
Laboratory testing, such as blood, sweat and glucose tolerance tests, can provide a closer look at the body's functions and processes. Read more about lab tests.
Pacemakers, Defibrillators and Devices
Cardiac implantable electronic devices are placed in a patient during surgery or minimally invasive procedure to regulate their heart rhythm. Learn about the process of implanting a pacemaker and cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) at Children’s Colorado.
Tissue biopsies
A heart tissue biopsy is a test in which a small piece of the heart muscle is taken to be looked at under a microscope. One of the most common reasons your child’s doctor might recommend a heart biopsy is to see if a virus is affecting the heart, causing inflammation of the heart muscle (a condition called myocarditis).
A doctor may also order a heart biopsy if your child has signs of a heart muscle disorder (known as cardiomyopathy). A heart tissue biopsy is also routinely done after a heart transplant to monitor for possible signs of the body rejecting a new heart.
Tissue biopsies are usually done during a cardiac catheterization or similar procedure. The test is performed by one of our pediatric cardiologists.
Your child’s cardiologist will review the results of the heart biopsy test with your family and help determine the best care plan for your child. Some results are available within 24 hours of the procedure, but others (based on the type of test done on the biopsy) can take several days or weeks.