Arkansas Children’s offers cardiac catheterization (cardiac caths) as an option to treat children with complex congenital heart conditions. Cardiac caths are used to avoid traditional open surgery and offer the patient less time under anesthesia, faster recovery, and shorter hospital stays. These procedures are performed in cardiac catheterization labs (cath lab). Arkansas Children’s has two state-of-the-art digital angiographic suites, available 24 hours a day for emergent procedures.

With a focus on quality and safety, our experienced interventional cardiologists perform hundreds of cardiac catheterization procedures each year.

How is a cardiac cath performed? Cardiac catheterization uses a long, flexible tube or catheter that is inserted into a vein or artery through a small incision. The tube is guided into the heart or other areas for diagnosis or correcting structural problems.

Programs & Services

Using small incisions, tiny instruments and digital imaging, interventional cardiologists diagnose and treat complex conditions including:

• Pediatric congenital and acquired conditions
• Pediatric heart transplant
• Pediatric pulmonary hypertension
• Adult congenital heart disease
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and ventricular assist devices
• Balloon or stent angioplasty of stenotic vessels
• Balloon valvuloplasty of stenotic pulmonary and aortic valves
• Atrial septostomy utilizing needle, balloon, stent, blade and radiofrequency techniques
• Coil and device emoblization of collateral vessels
• Percutaneous device closures of patent ductus arteriosus, patent foramen ovale, atrial septal defects, and ventricular septal defects
• Hybrid interventions involving collaboration of interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons
• Non-surgical pulmonary valve replacement with the Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve
• Electrophysiology study with three-dimensional mapping utilizing Ensite NavX technology
• Radiofrequency and cryocatheter ablation of complex arrhythmias
• Pacemaker and defibrillator implantation

Medical Director

Note: This clinic is available to your child by physician referral. Talk with your child's physician and tell him/her you would like to be referred to Arkansas Children's. Have the doctor contact the Arkansas Children's Appointment Center to make a referral at 501-364-4000. If your child does not have a regular physician, please call 501-364-4000 and we will be happy to recommend one in your area.