Your Child’s Pediatric Cardiology Appointment: What to Expect 

Being referred to a heart specialist can often be scary, but most children who see a cardiologist turn out to be healthy. Pediatric cardiologists diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions, whether the patient was born with heart problems or they were diagnosed after birth.

The most common referrals we get are chest pain, an extra heart sound (cardiac murmur), dizziness, or sports clearance in adolescent children. How should families prepare for a visit with a cardiologist? A little preparation goes a long way, and this all starts at the primary care physician's (PCP) visit. Parents should always ask why their children are being referred to a cardiologist and what kind of testing they offer at the cardiologist’s office that cannot be done in their PCP’s office. This approach allows the family to set appropriate expectations prior to the visit and not be surprised when they arrive at the appointment.

During a routine cardiology appointment, just like many other office appointments, the nurse will start by gathering information such as weight, height, blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. Most of the time, the patient will get at least an electrocardiogram or EKG, which is a simple sticker test that looks at the electrical activity of the heart.

Depending on the reason for the visit, the cardiologist may also order another test called an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart to look at the structure and function. After all the testing is done, the cardiologist will perform their own physical examination and discuss the findings with the family and any recommendations moving forward. Rarely do we need extra testing like a cardiac MRI or CAT scan. The family will always have ample time to ask any questions or concerns they may have, and as part of the visit we often provide illustrations or handouts for the family they can refer to after the visit.

Sometimes the child will require us to follow up routinely, so we will give the family a timeline of when to see us next and explain the warning signs for an earlier return visit. We want the family to feel comfortable and reassured when they leave our clinic and know that they can trust us in caring for their kids, so it’s important for parents to ask as many questions as possible during the clinic visit to understand what is going on with their child’s heart.