The Division of Cardiology provides a complete range of diagnostic, consultation and treatment services. A cardiology consultation is a chance for you to be seen by a specialist in cardiology, who has the expertise and training to evaluate your condition and identify any potential concerns. The cardiologist will ask questions about medical history, physical activity and other information that will help provide an assessment. If further tests are needed, your cardiologist will request these. Learn more about the services and support we offer below.
To make an appointment with a cardiologist, your physician must refer you. All referrals are reviewed, and appointments are scheduled based on the urgency of the case.
If this is an urgent referral needed an assessment in less than 48 hours, the referring physician must call CHEO’s main number (613-737-7600) and page the Cardiologist on service to discuss the referral.
Cardiology clinics and programs
A clinic visit starts with an assessment by one of the cardiology nurses. Because CHEO is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, your visit may also include an assessment by a senior medical student or pediatric resident (a doctor who is doing special training to become a pediatric doctor) before seeing the cardiologist. Depending on what tests are needed, your visit may take two to three hours.
In the CHEO Arrhythmia Clinic, we care for children and youth who have problems with their heart rhythm (or heartbeat). We also care for children who are at risk for heart rhythm problems. Some of these problems run in families, so we use specific expertise to carefully assess children and teenagers to see if they also have the condition.
The Pacemaker Clinic is scheduled monthly for routine follow-up. Previously seen patients and their families can call the Cardiology Medline (613-737-7600 ext. 3109) with questions about the child’s pacemaker or other health issues.
A pacemaker is needed in some cases of heart rhythm differences. A pacemaker works to restore normal heart rates. Regular follow-up clinic visits ensure the pacemaker is working properly.
During your child’s visit, a small computer is used to read information inside the pacemaker. The first step is to apply five stickers attached to five leads (insulated wires), which connect with the small computer. Then, a special pacemaker magnet is placed on the skin over your child’s pacemaker. Many parts of the pacemaker are checked during these visits including the pacemaker settings, the battery status and the leads.
Many of the pacemaker’s functions can be adjusted by the pacemaker doctor or nurse to meet your child’s needs and to help the system last as long as possible.
During this appointment you may also be scheduled for an ECG and/or Holter. X–rays are also routinely requested.
Twice a year, the Cardiology Department performs outreach clinics to Iqaluit, Nunavut. Children with suspected and known heart disease from Nunavut can receive full cardiac evaluations during these clinics, often saving them a trip to Ottawa.
Our Fetal CardiologyClinicperforms detailed ultrasound evaluation, counseling and treatment for heart problems in the developing baby during pregnancy. Most types of major congenital heart defects can be diagnosed after 18 weeks of pregnancy. Referral to this clinic is made by obstetrical or other providers when an at-risk fetus is identified.
About our team
The Department of Cardiology is made up of seven full time pediatric cardiologists, one nurse practitioner and a team of health care professionals. Our team includes a social worker, cardiac technologists, nurses, echosonographers, patient service clerks, a genetic counsellor and administrative support.
Information for children, youth and families
What should I bring for my clinic appointment?
Your child's health card
A list of all your child’s medications. The nurse will ask if you need a prescription refill for your child's medication.
Any allergy information your child has to medications or food.
Note: If your child needs antibiotics before dental procedures because of their heart problem, the cardiologist or the nurse will tell you. The dentist or family physician prescribes the antibiotics for your child.
Please sign up for a MyChart accountbefore your first visit.
Our scheduling team will call you to schedule an appointment.
If something changes and you need to reschedule your appointment, please let us know at least 24-48 hours in advance by calling 613-737-7600 x3091. No-shows or frequent cancellations may result in discharge from the service.
Your appointment may last up to two to three hours. During your clinic visit, we will:
take your child’s health history
examine your child or teen. A nurse will first take the weight, height and vital signs. The doctor or nurse practitioner will then perform the examination and decide if further tests are needed. Sometimes these tests will happen on the same day as the appointment. Other times, you will need to return for the testing on another day.
What can my child bring from home?
A bottle or soother is helpful for an infant. We do offer TV programming in the waiting room and as entertainment during echocardiogram testing. We encourage you to bring along a favourite toy, blanket, storybook or movie to help your child remain relaxed.
What to bring to my exercise test?
Bring shorts or jogging pants, running shoes and a bottle of water with you.
Do not have a heavy meal within two hours before the test but do have a snack one hour before such as soup, juice, fruit or granola bar.
Frequently asked questions
A murmur is an extra sound made as the blood flows through the heart. Most murmurs in children are from normal blood flow innocent murmurs. These murmurs are very common, happening in over half of all children. Most innocent murmurs disappear as your child grows. Some murmurs can indicate a problem with blood flow. This can be determined by assessing the specific sound of the murmur. Your child or teen may need some tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) or echocardiogram to investigate the murmur depending on how it sounds.
Chest pain in children is rarely related to the heart. Most chest pain in children comes from the chest muscles or the small joints in the rib cage. This type of pain often happens during rest, is often described as “sharp” or “stabbing” and is often made worse by taking a deep breath. Pain that happens during meals may be caused by a common condition called gastroesophageal reflux, the result of stomach acid coming back up the swallowing tube. The description of the chest pain can usually pinpoint the cause. Sometimes cardiac testing may be needed to investigate chest pain.
Bacterial endocarditis is an infection of the inside lining of the heart or the heart valves. It is a serious but rare complication in some children with heart defects. It may occur after certain procedures, such as dental work. For cardiac patients with certain types of heart defects, a preventative dose of antibiotics will be given before the procedure to decrease the chance of such an infection. Your cardiologist will discuss with you whether your child needs this type of antibiotic treatment.
Referrals for patients in Nunavut will be directed to the twice-yearly clinics in Iqaluit by the referring provider. Urgent referrals may need to be seen in Ottawa depending on the timing of the Outreach clinics.
New patients who have been referred to a cardiologist at CHEO but have not yet been seen will need to call their family physician if they have questions about their child’s health. Until a cardiologist sees your child, your family physician or pediatrician is the most knowledgeable about your child’s health. Once your child has seen a CHEO cardiologist, questions about their heart care can be directed to the Cardiology Clinic Medline at 613-737-7600, ext. 3109.
Don’t forget to ask for prescription renewals at your appointment. Your pharmacist can also request a renewal directly with the clinic. Please note that some medications or conditions will require an in-person assessment prior to providing a renewal.
An electrocardiogram is a simple, painless test that monitors and records the rhythm of the heart. Stickers are placed on the chest to make this recording. This test takes about five to ten minutes.
An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. It allows us to evaluate the structure and function of the heart. We can also evaluate blood flow within the heart and blood vessels. Echocardiograms use sound waves to make the pictures and are not painful. There is no radiation or risk associated with this test. Gel is placed on the chest and a small camera is moved across the chest and upper abdomen to take the pictures This test can take up to an hour and your child will need to lie still for it. We have TV's in the room for entertainment. Some tips:
Your child will need remove clothing above the waist (gowns are available).
Children under three years old may need to be sedated to have an echocardiogram if they are not able to lie still and cooperate. This is booked at a separate date from the clinic visit as it happens in a different area of the hospital with an anaesthesia doctor.
For infants, feeding (by bottle) and the use of soothers help to keep them calm.
This test happens in a dark room.
A Holter monitor is a small machine that records the heartbeat over a period ranging from 24 hours to 14 days. There are different types of monitors, some with small wires attached to stickers on the chest, and some with one large sticker. Your child cannot take a bath while the recorder is on but otherwise should engage in normal daily activities including exercise.The monitor is worn at home for the specified time, and then returned to CHEO. It is important to return the monitor as soon as possible so that the test can be interpreted by our team, and also to make sure that the equipment is available for the next patient who needs it.
This test is done to assess the heart’s response to exercise. Your child will exercise on a treadmill while their heart is monitored by an ECG test. There will be stickers and wires on the chest, and their vital signs (blood pressure, oxygen levels) will be monitored as they exercise. Please bring running shoes and wear comfortable clothing for them to exercise in. Your child will start off with a slow walk on the treadmill and then gradually increase the pace to running for as long as they can. After running, a cool down recovery period is observed. The test will take about 45 minutes.
Please ask about our hospital policy before taking pictures in the clinic. It is not permitted to take pictures of testing. Written consent is required to take pictures of staff.
Sign up for MyChart to access your CHEO health record anywhere, any time. MyChart is a secure, online patient portal that connects you to parts of your CHEO electronic health record and allows you to send two-way secure communication to your care team, complete any questionnaires your care team sends and much more. To learn more about MyChart and sign up, visit our MyChart page and fill out the MyChart Access Request Form.
How does the referral process work?
The referring physician provides information about the patient to the Cardiology Division. This information is then reviewed to decide the right timeframe to be seen by a Cardiologist. Because of this, the Division of Cardiology cannot guarantee an appointment within a specific period of time. Patients are told directly by phone or mail of their appointment time. If no one is at home at the time of the call, a message is left to call the Cardiology Department to confirm the appointment.
Please note that some referrals may be forwarded to our pediatric cardiology community partners in Ottawa and Gatineau instead of being seen at CHEO.
Referral criteria for specialized testing
Some cardiology testing can be requested without a cardiologist physician referral.
ECG’s may be requested without a consultation. Echocardiograms can be requested for certain conditions without a cardiology consultation (for example hypertension monitoring, some genetic conditions, chemotherapy monitoring). Please note that echocardiography has a limited role in the evaluation of chest pain, murmurs, syncope and palpitations in children and teens, and most requests for echocardiography without consultation will be declined for these conditions.
Cardiology testing
This is an ultrasound test that is performed under sedation for certain conditions. A flexible tube with the ultrasound camera is passed down the throat and into the esophagus (food pipe) until it is right behind the patient’s heart. This type of echocardiogram can give more information than a regular echocardiogram because the camera is closer to the heart.
Fetal echocardiography is a test in which ultrasound waves are used to see the baby’s heart while still in the womb. This test can take one to two hours. The test is usually done between 18 and 24 weeks pregnancy. The test can be affected by the thickness of the mother’s abdominal wall, the movement and position of the fetus and the amount of fluid present around the fetus. Major abnormalities of the heart can be diagnosed with this type of scan, but some minor abnormalities of the heart cannot be diagnosed until after the baby is born. This specialized test can be requested by an obstetrical provider when there is an elevated risk of fetal heart disease.
Cardiac Catheterization is a specialized procedure used to look inside your child's heart with the use of a special X-ray machine. This procedure is done with general anesthesia.
Catheterizations are done with the request of your cardiologist. Before the procedure, your child will be seen in the pre-assessment unit and meet with the interventional cardiologist. Cases are booked according to urgency as decided by the cardiology team.
Diagnostic (investigative) and interventional cardiac catheterization procedures are done at CHEO.
Diagnostic catheterizations are done to learn more and/or diagnose your child’s heart condition. It also helps the cardiologist to decide the best treatment for your child.
Interventional catheterizations are performed to fix heart malformations. Many defects can now be fixed by the implantation of a device, stent or coil using interventional catheterization procedures.
A coil occlusion catheterization is performed to close an unnecessary/abnormal blood vessel. By placing a catheter (hollow tube) in the blood vessel, a coil is pushed through a catheter and out into the blood vessel to be closed. The catheter is then removed once the coil is in place.
Angioplasty is a procedure that uses a balloon catheter (hollow tube) to open a narrowed heart vessel. A balloon catheter is a type of hollow tube which has an inflatable "balloon" at its tip. The balloon catheter is inserted into the blood vessel when it is deflated and once in position, it is inflated to perform the procedure and is deflated again for removal. The balloon may need to be inflated and deflated several times to stretch the blood vessel.
An angioplasty with stent implantation is a procedure performed when the blood vessel does not stay stretched after angioplasty. A stent (wire mesh) is inserted into the blood vessel and expanded. The stent will remain after the balloon catheter is removed to hold the blood vessel open. This procedure may need to be repeated as your child grows.
This procedure is used to insert a device to close a hole between two chambers of the heart. There are a variety of devices available for implantation depending on the size and location of the hole.
Valvuloplasty is a procedure that uses a balloon catheter (hollow tube) to open a narrowed heart valve. A balloon catheter is a type of hollow tube which has an inflatable "balloon" at its tip. The balloon catheter is inserted into the valve when it is deflated and once in position, it is inflated to perform the procedure and is deflated again for removal.
Looking for more resources or supports on cardiology?
Visit the cardiology resource section to learn about a variety of health topics for children and youth and access CHEO recommended websites, books, apps, videos and more!
Information for healthcare providers
Make a referral
Our clinic is now accepting e-referrals with Ocean!
If you’re already on Ocean, look us up via your account by searching "CHEO". If you don’t yet have an Ocean account, no problem - signing up is free.
CCHD screen result, vital signs including saturation, arm and leg blood pressure, Relevant prenatal and neonatal history.
Other information
Please fill out the referral form and mail or fax it to:
Division of Cardiology, CHEO 401 Smyth Road Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1 Fax: 613-738-4835
Please include with your referral:
any relevant test results
any relevant discharge summaries or reports
relevant family history
other relevant medical history
list of current medications
allergy information
Please indicate on the referral if an interpreter is required and for which language if not English or French. It is the referring physician's responsibility to notify the Cardiology Department if the status of the patient changes.
It is the referring physician’s responsibility to notify the patient and family of their referral to CHEO.
Contact us
Clinic C-18, Third floor, Room 3300 Cardiology (C-18), CHEO 401 Smyth Road Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1
Fax: 613-738-4835
Clinic Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday (except holidays)
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