Mount Sinai Heart Director Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiology, has assembled a team of best-in-class practitioners. Our specialists are trained in the special needs of both younger and older patients with congenital heart disease. They are also experts in working with children and families.

"Our team incorporates family-centered care into everything we do. Our expertise is informed by compassion," says Ira Parness, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology since 1998.

Unlike other pediatric hospitals, Mount Sinai Heart has a dedicated team of doctors who deal solely with pediatric and congenital heart patients.

"Some cases are so intricate that the solution is not immediately obvious," says Khanh H. Nguyen, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chief of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery. "We have weekly team meetings of cardiologists, anesthesiologists, and surgeons to discuss those cases in depth among our highly experienced subspecialists. When we walk away, we have the best plan."

"By nature, pediatric cardiologists tend to innovate," says Barry Love, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology and Director of the Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and the Pediatric Electrophysiology Laboratory. "We often need to invent, to borrow tools and techniques from other specialties."

Support Services for the Entire Family

Mount Sinai Heart is one of only three active pediatric transplant centers in New York State. In addition, we have New York State's only standalone intensive care unit for children with pediatric and congenital heart disease. Our Pediatric Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (PCICU) cares for patients after surgical procedures or awaiting heart transplantation. Pediatric cardiologists, interventionists, ventilator technicians, physician assistants, and intensive care nurses provide 24-hour comprehensive and supportive care.

Our Child Life Service provides support services for families and caregivers in the hospital environment. Therapeutic activities tailored to meet children's social, emotional, and educational needs make all the difference when they leave.

"Physical support for a child is a priority, but the family unit must also be maintained because the child will eventually go home," says Dr. Joashi. The Child Life Program offers tools to help smooth that transition.

Mount Sinai Heart invites every patient to attend an annual Valentine's Day party. "When we see the children healthy and enjoying themselves, just being kids, we light up," says Dr. Parness. "That is our reward."

A Gateway to the Leading Pediatric Cardiac Care Professionals

Ira Parness, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology since 1998 focuses on diagnosing and treating the most difficult and complex cardiac conditions in infants and children. Dr. Parness's work in pediatric echocardiography has been recognized by the American Society of Echocardiography, and he is consistently named to New York Magazine's "Best Doctors" list.

Bruce D. Gelb, MD, Professor of Cardiology and Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, directs the Center for Molecular Cardiology. His goal is to discover what causes congenital heart disease.

"When we understand what causes heart defects, we can do better in predicting them, as well as in treating the child into adulthood," Dr. Gelb says.

Dr. Gelb is co-director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Program, one of the few such programs in the Northeast. He is also Medical Director of Mount Sinai's Pediatric Heart Transplant Program. He and his colleagues have already discovered genes responsible for several congenital heart diseases.

Barry Love, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Director of the Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and the Pediatric Electrophysiology Laboratory, is one of only four cardiologists in the country trained in both interventional cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology. He uses devices to close holes in the heart and widen narrowed arteries in both children and adults with congenital heart disease. He also performs ablation procedures to treat pediatric rhythm problems.

"I work with a really talented group of colleagues," says Dr. Love. "At most hospitals, the catheterization lab is closed up and dark at 7:00 at night. At Mount Sinai Heart, ours is just hitting its stride. To know that I can go to the lab then to consult with another doctor is a great privilege."

Khanh H. Nguyen, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chief of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery is a leading pediatric cardiac surgeon. He pioneered a minimal underarm incision approach that leaves children with reduced pain and near-invisible scars. Dr. Nguyen has made important contributions to "fast tracking" pediatric open-heart surgery patients. Most congenital heart surgery patients at Mount Sinai Heart are now treated with this approach, enjoying quicker recovery time, fewer complications, and rapid discharge to the comforts of home.

Shubhika Srivastava, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, directs Mount Sinai's renowned Echocardiography Laboratory and Fetal Heart Program. Her colleague, James C. Nielsen, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, is Director of Pediatric Noninvasive Imaging and Director of the Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Program. Cardiac MRI serves as an advanced companion method for noninvasive detection and diagnosis of congenital and pediatric heart disease.

The noninvasive imaging team is complemented by Miwa Geiger, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, who has a special interest in fetal echocardiography, and Rowan Walsh, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, who offers expertise in congenital cardiac MRI.

Rica Arnon, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiology, specializes in exercise physiology and the evaluation and treatment of patients with congenital and acquired heart disease. Dr. Arnon also directs inpatient services for the Division of Pediatric Cardiology.

Umesh Joashi, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, is Director of the PCICU. He is highly skilled in using mechanical devices to support failing circulation. He is also interested in innovative pain management. His techniques have contributed to the rapid recovery enjoyed by our pediatric heart surgery patients.

Sujata Chakravarti, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, is an integral member of the pediatric heart failure and heart transplant programs. Dr. Chakravarti has special interest and expertise in pediatric heart muscle dysfunction and the management of congestive heart failure.

Ingrid B. Hollinger, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatric Anesthesiology, has developed several watershed protocols for Mount Sinai Heart pediatric surgery. Her fast-track anesthesia technique, now a routine policy at Mount Sinai Heart, accelerates the removal of breathing tubes after surgery and allows patients to go home sooner.

Dr. Hollinger is keenly aware of the human factors in the delicate subspecialty of pediatric anesthesiology.

"The anesthesiologists taking care of pediatric cardiac patients are specifically trained. Their main interest is to make the experience the least traumatic for the patients and the parents," she says. "Parents of stable infants older than a year are even allowed to accompany their child into the operating room."

Alexander Mittnacht, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, also specializes in pediatric cardiac anesthesia.

The Pediatric Cardiology team is rounded out by Richard Golinko MD, and Leonard Steinfeld, MD, both Emeritus Professors of Pediatrics and highly regarded senior clinicians.

The Perfusion Team in Action

Perfusionists play an integral role in the pediatric and congenital surgical team. The perfusionist's main responsibility is to support the physiological and metabolic needs of the pediatric cardiac surgical patient during the procedures. These technicians are responsible for operating bypass machines, such as the heart-lung machines and extracorporeal membrane oxygenator. They also operate blood recovery systems such as Cell Saver.

From Groundbreaking Research to Clinical Practice

As part of an academic medical institution, our doctors are dedicated to educating and training the next generation of physicians and scientists. Mount Sinai Heart doctors also direct research and clinical trials of new drugs and devices.

Members of the pediatric and congenital heart disease team are part of Mount Sinai Medical Center's Faculty Practice Associates, a multidisciplinary group of more than 800 physicians who provide an extensive network of primary care, ambulatory specialty care, psychiatric care, and rehabilitation services both at Mount Sinai and in the community. In addition, more than 1,400 private physicians enjoy a close relationship with the hospital, sending patients to Mount Sinai for further testing, procedures, and surgeries.