Congenital Heart Disease
Did you know that congenital heart disease occurs in 1% of children, making them the most common birth defects? But their prevalence doesn’t make it any easier when they happen to someone you love.
Most congenital heart defects have no known cause. There may be a genetic link to some heart defects, but most of the time, there is no clear reason why these defects happen.
Congenital heart diseases range from simple to complex. Some heart defects can be monitored by your baby's doctor and managed with medicines. A baby may even "grow out" of a heart problem.
But some heart conditions will require surgery, sometimes as soon as in the first few hours after birth. And some babies can have a combination of defects and need several operations throughout their lives.
Experts classify congenital heart disease into categories to better understand the problems the baby will experience.
The first group includes problems that cause too much blood to pass through the lungs. Conditions can include:
The second group includes problems that cause too little blood to pass through the lungs. Conditions can include:
The third group includes problems that cause too little blood to travel to the body. Conditions can include:
Sometimes, a baby can have a mix of several heart defects. This creates a more complex problem that can fall into several of the above categories.
From Our Health Library
Treatment Options Available at Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Heart Centers
At Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children, our highly trained pediatric cardiologists are here to support you and your keiki. Kapiʻolani is home to the Pediatric Heart Center, which offers comprehensive cardiac care for Hawaiʻi’s children and families right here at home.
Fetal Cardiology
Fetal cardiology evaluates a baby's developing heart before birth. It uses targeted ultrasound to assess structure, function, rhythm, and blood flow.
We offer comprehensive fetal echocardiography. If we identify heart disease in your baby, we arrange immediate newborn evaluation. If needed, transfer pathways for surgery or catheter-based care are planned.
We also provide maternal counseling to explain findings and likely postnatal needs. Working together with experts in obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, and neonatology, we develop a plan of action that ensures the right interventions are available at the right time and place.
For families with genetic concerns or a history of heart defects, we also offer genetic counseling and family screening.
Newborn and Infant Heart Care
Newborn and infant cardiology focuses on early recognition and stabilization of heart conditions.
If you're expecting a baby with a congenital heart disease, our team will help you build a comprehensive plan to treat your newborn from the moment of birth – and throughout their life.
Every baby born at Kapiʻolani is screened to detect heart defects with our state-of-the-art oximetry screening.
Our team provides other critical congenital heart disease screenings, including bedside echocardiography, electrocardiography, and pulse oximetry–based assessments, in the nursery and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Your baby's care team will develop step-by-step plans that include nutrition, medications, and safe follow-up schedules. Parents receive clear instructions on warning signs and 24/7 access for urgent questions.
When needed, we'll coordinate transitions to surgery, catheterization, or advanced imaging without delay.
Congenital Arrhythmias
Electrical disorders of the heart can be confusing. This is because, while the heart itself may be healthy, the “wiring” can be off – similar to the systems in a house.
If your child is born with an arrhythmia, remember one thing: Diagnosing and treating these disorders in children is our expertise. So, you’ve come to the right place.
At Kapiʻolani, our collaborative team offers a full range of services for patients with inherited arrhythmia syndromes. We use cutting-edge technology to detect any and all potentially life-threatening arrhythmia conditions and offer a wide variety of treatment options.
Pediatric Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension
This specialty manages reduced heart function and elevated lung pressures for keiki from birth to young adulthood.
We tailor medicines, nutrition, and activity guidance to each child. We also use remote and in-clinic monitoring to reduce emergency visits and admissions. Diagnostic tools include echocardiography, cardiac MRI, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and catheterization, when indicated.
We coordinate evaluation with transplant and mechanical circulatory in the region when needed. This maintains local continuity of care whenever possible.
Family education is part of your child's treatment plan, too, and includes medications, devices, growth and development education, and school and sports planning.
Pediatric Heart Surgeries
Providing exceptional heart surgery to children and young adults is what our congenital heart team is known for and does best.
The Kapiʻolani Pediatric Heart Center includes the first pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory in Hawaiʻi. Here, our pediatric cardiologist performed the state's very first pulmonary valve replacement via cardiac catheterization.
The center was also the first in Hawaiʻi to offer the minimally invasive Harmony™ valve procedure for patients with congenital heart defects.
These highly technical procedures are used both to diagnose and treat, often providing a safer alternative to higher-risk heart surgeries.
Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Babies born with congenital heart defects grow up to be adults. That's why our Heart Centers offer continued care for adults with congenital conditions.
We help patients with:
- Self-management skills
- Reproductive counseling
- Coordination with primary care and subspecialist
- Late complications (like arrhythmias, valve disease, and heart failure)
- Lifestyle, employment, and family planning
Shared clinics and warm handoffs reduce gaps in follow-up during the teen and young adult years.
Kapiʻolani Medical Center was the first medical center in Hawaiʻi to treat adults with congenital heart defects. It's also the only center with board-certified adult congenital heart disease specialists in the entire state.
If you need an advanced procedure, we coordinate care with our adult heart centers at Pali Momi and Straub Benioff on Oʻahu, or Wilcox if you live on Kauaʻi.
Providing Support for Children and Families
Kardiac Kids is a support group for families, young adults, and caregivers affected by congenital and acquired heart defects.
Families of children diagnosed with various cardiac conditions meet regularly to offer support to one another.
