Fetal Cardiology

At Ochsner Hospital for Children, we provide high-quality care to all our patients beginning in the womb with fetal care. Fetal cardiology is a subspecialty of pediatric cardiology focused on diagnosis of congenital heart disease in utero. Our team of fetal cardiologists have special training in diagnosing heart defects before birth, and they work with obstetricians to improve the planning process for delivery and possible surgery after birth. Our team also offers same day fetal cardiology appointments in multiple locations across the region.

Fetal cardiology is a critical part of any congenital heart center. For many families, the fetal echocardiogram is their first point of contact with Ochsner Health. Through the work of our fetal cardiology program, families of affected fetuses are educated on their child’s heart disease. Families have access to excellent maternal fetal medicine care to diagnose other fetal anomalies, and they are given the opportunity to meet with our congenital heart surgeons, tour our facilities, including the neonatal ICU and pediatric cardiovascular ICU. Moreover, our team assists in postnatal planning of critical therapies and procedures, and families are given an opportunity to bond with the physicians who will care for their child.

We are the only congenital heart center ranked by US News and World Report in Louisiana and Mississippi. Our surgical outcomes are significantly better than national averages. We have a team of highly trained and skilled physicians, nurses and sonographers who have dedicated their lives to the improvement of the lives of children with congenital heart disease.
We are the only echocardiography lab in Louisiana accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission for fetal echocardiography.
Ochsner Hospital for Children has been ranked among the Top 50 Children’s Hospitals in the country for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery specialties by U.S. News and World Report. Ochsner Hospital for Children is Louisiana's only ranked children's hospital.

Below is a list of the most common conditions treated by our team.

Structural heart disease
Fetal arrythmias
Fetal cardiac dysfunction

Early diagnosis is important in determining the best treatment option for our patient and if surgery is necessary. Fetal echocardiograms are used to diagnosis and assess for congenital heart disease, which tend to be structural heart problems – where the heart is not put together correctly. A fetal echocardiogram also helps assess heart function in otherwise ill fetus, and it can assess for heart arrhythmias in the fetus.

Our team is participating in a new study in conjunction with the Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This study utilizes umbilical cord blood derived stem cells that are injected into the right ventricle (pumping chamber) at the time of the second stage surgery for these patients (the Glenn). This is an attempt to increase the number of heart muscle cells and decrease the risk for heart failure and cardiac transplant in the future.

Click here to learn more about our clinical trials and research.

At Ochsner, we function as a team of highly skilled and compassionate physicians, nurses and sonographers that provide the best care to our tiny patients.

Diego Lara, MD, MPH

Director, Fetal Cardiology

Jessica Mouledoux, MD, MSCI

Director, Non-Invasive Imaging

Kamill Del Toro, MD

Theodorus “Hans” Mulder, MD

Michael White, MD, PhD

Nurses

Tracie Roddy, RN

Anne Orillion, RN

Sonographers

Eileen Gulotta, RDCS

Jennifer Jenkins, RDCS

Camille Sistrunk, RDCS

Ericka Malone, RDCS

Quinwei Wang, RDCS

Majority of appointments are made through obstetrics or maternal fetal medicine. However, if you would like a second opinion, you can schedule an appointment through my.ochsner.org or call 504-842-5200.