Outpatient Clinic Service

The Section of Pediatric Cardiology at the Heart Center at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine is one of the largest in the world, with expertise in all areas of clinical cardiology. As part of our goal to provide the highest quality of medical care to our patients, the Section of Pediatric Cardiology conducts specialized clinics in Houston and in the surrounding area. These clinics provide state-of-the-art medical care to the children of Houston, as well as children across the state of Texas, the United States, and internationally.

Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic

• Jeffrey A. Towbin, M.D. (co-director)
• John W. Belmont M.D., Ph.D. (co-director)
• Steven R. Neish, M.D.
• William Craigen, M.D., Ph.D.
• Susan Fernbach, RN (genetic counselor, coordinator)

This clinic combines the expertise of pediatric cardiologists and geneticists in a single clinic setting in order to diagnose, treat, and counsel families with inherited forms of heart disease, genetic syndromes in which heart disease co-exists, and genetic diseases with associated heart disease. Developed in 1996, this clinic meets on Wednesdays within the Heart Center Clinic area in the West Tower of Texas Children's Hospital, 20th Floor.

Although all forms of genetic-based heart disease are seen, the most common disorders seen include connective tissue diseases such as Marfan syndrome, muscular dystrophies, and syndromes such as Williams syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and Turner syndrome. In addition, mitochondrial disease and metabolic disorders, such as mucopolysaccharidoses (Hurler syndrome, Hunter syndrome), are commonly referred. Individual patients or multiple family members may be seen at any visit to this clinic.

Collaborations with ophthalmologists, orthopedists, neurologists, learning specialists, and therapists are important aspects of care provided in this clinic. Research studies are available to interested patients and families.

Cardiomyopathy/Transplant Clinic

• Jeffrey A. Towbin, M.D. (director)
• Bryan C. Cannon, M.D.
• Susan W. Denfield, M.D.
• William J. Dreyer, M.D.
• Michelle A. Grenier, M.D.
• Naomi J. Kertesz, M.D.
• Jack F. Price, M.D.
• Sarah Clunie, RN (coordinator)
• Anne Thomas, RN (coordinator)

Developed by Dr. Towbin in 1991, this clinic cares for children with all forms of cardiomyopathy. The largest clinic of its type for children, over 1,000 children are seen yearly in The Heart Center Clinic area within the West Tower of Texas Children’s Hospital, 20th Floor. This team of physicians provides outpatient and inpatient consultative care for dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy, and left ventricular noncompaction. In addition, complex forms of heart muscle disease such as Barth syndrome, mitochondrial cardiomyopathy, metabolic cardiomyopathy, toxic cardiomyopathy (such as adriamycin cardiomyopathy), and heart failure due to congenital heart disease are evaluated and treated in this clinic.

Cutting-edge diagnostic studies and treatments are available in this clinic as are research studies aimed at identifying the genetic bases of these diseases. Dr. Towbin, the director of this clinical service and chief of Pediatric Cardiology, also acts as the director of the Clinical Coordinating Center of the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry, an NIH-funded resource. The clinic meets every Thursday and 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year on-call availability of the faculty of this service assures excellent care to the children followed by this team.

Texas Children's Hospital Heart Center Outreach Services and Hospital Consultation Services

This service provides clinical consultative and non-invasive imaging services to multiple hospitals in and around Houston. Texas Children's and Baylor College of Medicine pediatric cardiologists provide consultation, diagnosis and treatment for children at Ben Taub General Hospital, Texas Woman’s Hospital, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Christus-St. Joseph Hospital, The Methodist Hospital, Park Plaza Hospital, St. Luke’s Woodlands Hospital, and Clear Lake Regional Medical Center.

Outreach Cardiology Clinics

Currently, Texas Children's Heart Center cardiologists direct pediatric cardiology clinics in Sugar Land, Cypress-Fairbanks, The Woodlands, Clear Lake, the Kelsey-Sebold Clinic in Houston, and Bryan-College Station. In addition, electrophysiology services are provided to clinics in El Paso and Corpus Christi. These clinics are located as follows: