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Specialized Services |
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A B C D E F G H I K L M P R S T W All Services
Fetal Cardiovascular Program
The Fetal Cardiovascular Program at UCSF Children's Hospital assesses and manages fetal and pediatric heart disease. We have access to the latest technology for sophisticated imaging as early as the late first trimester.
The program is a joint service of the UCSF Pediatric Heart Center and the UCSF Fetal Treatment Center.
Fetal Echocardiography Services
We provide urgent and elective fetal echocardiograms from 10 weeks to term to screen for structural, functional and rhythm-related fetal heart disease in at-risk or affected pregnancies, including indications of:
- Abnormal general fetal ultrasound suggesting heart disease or dysrhythmia
- Extracardiac defects
- Increased nuchal translucency
- Abnormal maternal serum screening
- Maternal disease, such as diabetes, phenylketonuria (PKU) and collagen vascular disease
- Maternal teratogen exposure
- Family history of single gene disorders or congenital heart disease
Our staff has extensive experience in providing unique assessment of first and early second trimester pregnancies. Our services also include:
 - Thorough and compassionate counseling
- Provision of all options and support of patients' decisions regarding pregnancies
- Coordination of assessment for other related services including perinatology and genetics
- Serial fetal echocardiogram assessments when appropriate
- Prompt verbal and written communication to the referring physician
- Advice regarding affected pregnancies
Educational Outreach Initiative
Our goal is to provide optimum care for all pregnant women and fetuses in the region by sharing best practices learned by our clinicians. Our educational program is designed to enhance fetal cardiac assessment within routine fetal ultrasounds to improve prenatal detection of major structural heart disease, and to help doctors better care for their patients.
We offer:
- Fetal cardiac screening lecture series for obstetricians, radiologists and sonographers
- Hands-on teaching within local clinics
- Hands-on teaching sessions in the Fetal Cardiovascular Program
- Pediatric cardiology, radiology and obstetrical fellowship training
Fetal Cardiovascular Research Initiative
The program also is continuing to research new and better techniques for helping women have healthier babies. Our research projects include:
- Exploring pathogenic mechanisms of structural/functional fetal heart disease
- Developing prenatal and perinatal intervention strategies
- Developing technological advances for earlier detection
- Exploring the influence of maternal disease on the fetal heart
The Fetal Cardiovascular Program closely follows the model established by Dr. Lisa Hornberger at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, where the program is credited with more than tripling the prenatal detection rate of major cardiovascular anomalies for Toronto children. Hornberger has now brought that model to UCSF Children's Hospital.
Our Team
- Dr. Lisa Hornberger, pediatric cardiologist and director of the Fetal Cardiovascular Program
- Dr. Theresa Tacy, pediatric cardiologist and echocardiographer
- Dr. Michael Brook, director of the Pediatric Echocardiography Laboratory
- Beth Eichenberger, R.N.C., M.P.A./H.S.A., outreach coordinator
- Matthew McClain, R.C.D.S., senior sonographer
- Judith Laughlin, L.C.S.W., social worker
- Karen Mann, M.S.W., social worker
- Lori Fineman, C.N.S., nurse in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU)
Referrals
To refer a patient to the UCSF Fetal Cardiovascular Program or to learn about our educational outreach, please contact us directly at (415) 353-1887 or call our main 24-hour toll-free line at (800) RX-FETUS.
Or use our referral form. Print, fill it out and then fax it to (415) 353-8675.
UCSF Fetal Cardiovascular Program
505 Parnassus Ave., 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 353-1887
Fax: (415) 353-8675
Email: echoadmin@pedcard.ucsf.edu
 The referral form is in Portable Document Format (PDF). This documents can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it for free from Adobe's Web site.
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