Graphic showing a pair adult hands reaching out to hold a pair of child hands with text that reads Always reaching | MUSC Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center | Number 4 in the Nation | Best Children's Hospital USNWR

Fetal Heart Program

The MUSC Women’s Health Fetal Heart Program is part of the Advanced Fetal Care Center. If your unborn child has suspected or confirmed congenital heart disease, the Advanced Fetal Care Center has the expertise and experience to provide accurate diagnosis, detailed management recommendations, and coordination of care. Comprehensive and multidisciplinary care will be provided to both you and your baby in a family-centered environment. Our team works closely with a statewide network of obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine experts, pediatric cardiologists, and surgeons to ensure the highest quality care throughout pregnancy, during delivery, and after birth.

Services We Provide

  • Advanced fetal echocardiography performed by specialized fetal cardiac sonographers
  • Expert evaluation and diagnosis of fetal heart defects
  • Counseling and education about cardiac diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options and potential outcomes
  • Planning for labor and delivery
  • Family emotional support services before and after delivery
  • Nurse coordinator support to organize multidisciplinary care including obstetricians, maternal-fetal-medicine specialists, and other pediatric sub-specialists

Frequently Asked Questions

A congenital heart defect (CHD) is a heart problem that occurs while the heart is still developing and is present at birth. Defects can range from holes between heart chambers to more severe defects such as a heart chamber that did not develop.

Fetal ultrasounds are performed in most pregnant women to monitor fetal growth and to detect abnormalities. Congenital heart defects can be found during routine fetal ultrasounds. If your baby has potential risk factors, like a family history of heart disease, our fetal cardiologists can carefully examine your baby's heart.

At your appointment, you will have a fetal echocardiogram and possibly a high-risk maternal ultrasound.

If your baby is diagnosed with a heart defect, our team will discuss your baby’s condition, treatment options and long-term outlook. If there are other organs that are not normal, you will meet other doctors as well, to discuss potential options and management during and after your delivery.

If your baby has a complex heart defect that will require surgery in the first few weeks of life, we will make arrangements for you to deliver at MUSC so that your baby can receive highly specialized pediatric cardiac care immediately at birth. MUSC's Pediatric & Congenital Heart Center was ranked number four and achieved the top outcomes in the nation as ranked by U.S. News & World Report Best Children's Hospitals 2022 – 23 survey.

Our team will be there with you every step of the way to provide both clinical and support services to help you with newborn care and special family needs that may arise.