1. Overview
The Heart Center at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University is one of China's largest and most comprehensive specialized heart centers dedicated to the care of infants, children, and adolescents with heart conditions. For over six decades, our team has been committed to providing world-class, family-centered care, pioneering new treatments, and training the next generation of leaders in pediatric cardiology.
Our core team of 13 board- certified pediatric cardiologists — specializing in non-invasive imaging, interventional procedures, and electrophysiology — along with our dedicated support staff, manages the full spectrum of congenital and acquired heart diseases. In close collaboration with our cardiothoracic surgery colleagues, we form a national referral center recognized for expertise in managing the most complex cases, including critical neonatal congenital heart defects, Kawasaki disease with coronary complications, and complex arrhythmias.
Clinical Excellence & Innovation:
We deliver state-of-the-art cardiac care across all subspecialties. Our interventional cardiology program is the premier destination for the most challenging cases, pioneering life-saving catheter-based interventions in critically ill newborns and preterm infants and offering a full spectrum of advanced therapies for complex congenital heart disease. Our electrophysiology program has gained national recognition for performing exceptionally high-risk and pioneering ablation procedures, including those in infants, on ECMO support, and for accessory pathways previously considered untreatable. The program also provides a comprehensive suite of device therapy, offering the latest generation of pacing systems—including physiological and leadless pacemakers—as well as advanced defibrillation systems such as subcutaneous and EV-ICDs. We are the definitive national center of excellence and thought leader for Kawasaki disease in China, setting the standard of care through establishing national treatment guidelines, leading multicenter research, and managing the most severe coronary artery complications.
Research & Education:
As a major academic center within a leading pediatric hospital, we are deeply invested in translational research. Our physicians lead national multicenter clinical trials, maintain extensive disease registries, and collaborate internationally to improve outcomes. We are proud to train fellows, residents, and medical students, fostering a culture of inquiry and excellence.
Our mission is to provide every child with the most advanced, compassionate care possible, from prenatal diagnosis through adulthood, ensuring not just survival but the opportunity for a full and healthy life.
2. Tests and Procedures
Diagnostic & Imaging Services:
• Comprehensive Echocardiography: Transthoracic (TTE), Transesophageal (TEE), and Agitated Saline Contrast (“Bubble Study”) for shunt detection.
• Advanced Cardiac Imaging: Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT).
• Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization: For precise hemodynamic and angiographic assessment.
• Electrophysiology (EP) Studies: For detailed mapping and diagnosis of complex arrhythmias.
• Functional & Ambulatory Testing: Exercise Stress (Treadmill) Testing and Holter Monitoring.
Interventional & Surgical Procedures:
• Catheter-Based Interventions: Device closure of ASDs, VSDs, PDAs; balloon valvuloplasty/angioplasty; stent placement; percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI).
• Electrophysiology: Radiofrequency ablation for arrhythmias; implantation of pacemakers, ICDs, CRT-D devices, including leadless and subcutaneous systems.
• Coronary Interventions: Advanced imaging (IVUS, FFR), angioplasty, and stenting for Kawasaki disease complications.
• Peripheral Vascular Interventions: For conditions affecting renal, hepatic, and pulmonary vessels.
• Hybrid Procedures: Collaborative operations performed jointly by interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons in a dedicated hybrid suite for conditions such as pulmonary atresia and staged palliation of complex congenital heart disease.
3. Conditions We Treat
Our specialists provide comprehensive care for the entire spectrum of pediatric cardiovascular diseases, with particular expertise in:
• Congenital Heart Defects: We manage the full range, from simple lesions such as atrial and ventricular septal defects (ASD/VSD) to the most complex conditions including tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries (TGA), hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), and all forms of single ventricle physiology.
• Acquired Heart Disease: This includes Kawasaki disease (a national referral specialty), myocarditis, pericarditis, rheumatic heart disease, and infective endocarditis.
• Heart Rhythm Disorders (Arrhythmias): We diagnose and treat all arrhythmias, from common supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome to complex ventricular tachycardias, inherited channelopathies (e.g., Long QT Syndrome, Brugada Syndrome), and bradycardias.
• Cardiomyopathy & Heart Failure: Our heart failure program provides advanced management for all cardiomyopathies: dilated (DCM), hypertrophic (HCM), restrictive (RCM), and arrhythmogenic right ventricular (ARVC).
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Genetic, Metabolic & Syndromic Cardiovascular Conditions: This includes cardiovascular manifestations of genetic disorders such as Marfan syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and familial hypercholesterolemia.