Fetal Heart Disease Program

Welcome to the

Fetal Heart Disease Program

150 East 32nd Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10016

Our experts diagnose and treat heart defects in unborn babies.

In most pregnancies, heart defects can be identified before a baby is born. When this happens, fetal cardiologists from our Fetal Heart Disease Program develop a treatment plan that harnesses the expertise of doctors across various specialties. Everyone works together toward one goal: meeting your baby’s health needs before and after birth.

The Fetal Heart Disease Program is part of the Pediatric Congenital Heart Program at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at ��Ƶ. Our imaging experts offer the most advanced ultrasound testing, starting in the first trimester of pregnancy in certain situations. Our doctors perform more than 2,000 fetal echocardiograms per year to provide early diagnosis of congenital heart defects.

The fetal heart team assesses the medical and surgical needs of a birthing parent and their baby before birth to prepare an individualized care plan for when the baby is born. High-risk pregnancies are discussed at monthly multidisciplinary meetings that include fetal cardiologists, maternal–fetal medicine physicians, and neonatologists.

When a heart defect is identified that requires immediate treatment after birth, parents often choose to deliver their baby at ��Ƶ’s Tisch Hospital. This gives them access to care from the entire fetal heart team. The team is often present at the birth, allowing for early recognition and treatment of any changes in the baby’s condition, with the goal of ultimately ensuring better outcomes during and after birth.

The Fetal Heart Disease Program is a sponsor of the . This allows ��Ƶ to be part of cutting-edge research and find ways to improve care for unborn babies with congenital heart disease across the country.

Conditions We Treat

Our team of experts treats many types of congenital heart defects, including but not limited to the following:

arrhythmias, a group of conditions that cause the heart to beat too fast, too slow, or in an irregular way
atrial and ventricular septal defects (ASD and VSD), also known as a hole in the septum, which is the wall in the heart separating the left and right chambers
aortic and pulmonary stenosis, in which the aortic or pulmonary valve is narrowed or tightened
atrioventricular canal defects, affecting the part of the heart that connects the upper (atria) and lower (ventricle) chambers
cardiomyopathy, a condition that impacts the heart muscle
dextro-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA), a condition that causes the two main arteries pumping blood from the heart to be reversed
double outlet right ventricle, a defect that causes the blood vessels to originate from the wrong location and can be associated with abnormal valves and vessels
Ebstein’s anomaly of the tricuspid valve, which causes the top and bottom right heart chambers to form incorrectly
heart block, where the electrical system in the heart stops functioning the way it should
heart tumors
heterotaxy syndrome, which causes the organs in the chest to form abnormally or in a different position, or to be missing
hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped, and is a form of single ventricle disease
interruption of the aortic arch, which prevents blood from flowing throughout the body
pulmonary atresia, which causes the pulmonary valve to not develop
single ventricle heart defects, in which one of the ventricles isn’t large enough or strong enough to pump blood correctly
tricuspid atresia, a condition that causes the right side of the heart to be underdeveloped and is a form of single ventricle disease
tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), which causes changes in the right side of the heart, causing the baby to have lower oxygen levels
total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), which causes the veins that move blood from the lungs to the heart to be attached to the wrong part of the heart
truncus arteriosus, in which the blood vessels coming out of the heart do not separate completely during development

Services We Offer

We offer the following services:

fetal echocardiography, including emergency add-on appointments within 48 hours
second opinions, which include a comprehensive visit in a single location, with the opportunity to have a fetal echocardiogram, meet a fetal cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeon, a social worker, our fetal team, and tour the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU)
fetal MRI program, which allows the clinical team to see certain parts of the body in more detail
maternal hyperoxygenation testing, which allows us to predict which babies with certain types of critical heart disease will need urgent intervention after birth
Fontan clinic for long-term follow-up for kids with single ventricles
comprehensive cardiac neuro-developmental program to help our patients with heart disease who may have developmental delays or need additional developmental services
access to clinical trials and research studies
coordinated care with the Pediatric Heart Failure and Transplant Program
coordinated care with the Pediatric ECMO Program

Contact Us

To schedule an appointment for a fetal echocardiogram, please call 212-263-5940. For any emergency appointments within 48 hours, email FinkCenter@NYULangone.org.

Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at ��Ƶ

Our pediatric experts provide the best care possible for children with conditions ranging from minor illnesses to complex, more serious conditions.

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Our Team of Experts

Our world-class, compassionate fetal cardiologists provide care for the pregnant patient and unborn baby, with the goal of optimizing healthcare outcomes and preparing for postnatal care for the parent and child.

Find a Doctor & Schedule

Ranjini Srinivasan, MD
Director | Pediatric Cardiology
Dr. Ranjini Srinivasan is the director of the Fetal Heart Disease Program at ��Ƶ. She completed her cardiology fellowship at Columbia University/NewYork Presbyterian Hospital, before completing a two-year fellowship in advanced imaging at the National Institutes of Health. She is one of our imaging experts, and specializes in echocardiography, fetal cardiology, and cross-sectional imaging (MRI and CT). She has a research interest in fetal cardiology and improving outcomes for our most vulnerable patients and participates in NIH-funded projects. Her most recent research focuses on fetal MRI. When she is not busy with her clinical responsibilities at ��Ƶ, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three girls.
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Akilah Smith, BSN, RN
Fetal Nurse Coordinator
Akilah Smith joined us as a fetal nurse coordinator after dedicating 12 years to pediatric nursing. She has extensive experience working in the PICU, NICU, and cardiac ICU at ��Ƶ, before shifting to outpatient pediatric nursing at our Fink Children’s Ambulatory Care Center. She was instrumental in building the fetal cardiology program during a period of rapid growth at ��Ƶ. In her role, she participates in numerous research projects, quality improvement, and organizing of the fetal program and provides compassionate care to our families who are dealing with the prospect of a child with heart disease. When she is not keeping the fetal heart program running, Akilah enjoys being with her husband and two children, playing tennis, and volunteering in school activities.
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Melanie Siegal, RN, MSN
Fetal Nurse
Melanie Siegal has a master’s in nursing from Johns Hopkins University, where she developed an interest in maternal–fetal health. She spent two years working in the pediatric cardiac ICU at ��Ƶ before joining us as our fetal heart center clinical nurse. She is an integral part of our care team.