Cardiology

What is Cardiac Catheterization?

The Cardiac Diagnostic and Interventional Unit (CDIU) unit consists of highly specialized doctors, nurses and other health professionals who diagnose and treat a variety of heart conditions.  

Using a specialized catheter, which is a long thin tube, and other small flexible tools, doctors can seal holes or open holes of the heart, widen narrowed passages, repair valves and obtain a sample or biopsy of the heart. Doctors can also gather information about the structure of your child’s heart and its valves; the pressure in the chambers of the heart and its blood vessels; the amount of oxygen in the chambers of the heart and its blood vessels; the amount of blood your child’s heart pumps to the body and the rhythm of the heart. The health-care team will use this as important information to create a clinical plan for your child. 

Additionally, the unit has an interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) suite, which helps doctors view what they are doing in real time without using radiation. 

Learn more about heart catheterization.

CDIU Staff Cardiologists

• Rajiv Chaturvedi (Section Head)
• Lee Benson
• Nicholas Fitzgerald

More information coming soon.

Learn more about our associated clinics:

• Cardiology Clinic (including Lipid, Connective Tissue Disorder, and Kawasaki Disease clinics)
• Pacemaker Clinic

The cardiac clinic specializes in the diagnosis and follow-up of children with congenital or acquired cardiac disease from birth to 18 years of age. We see approximately 10,000 patient visits per year, including those who require surgery, have genetic or metabolic disorders with cardiac complications or have cardiac defects that require ongoing medical management. For further information on specific cardiac defects, please visit  AboutKidsHealth.

More information coming soon.

Staff Cardiologists

Dr. Elizabeth Stephenson (Section Head)
Dr. Robert Hamilton
Dr. Yuval Bitterman
Dr. Jason Garnreiter
Dr. Anica Bulic

Learn about Heart Rhythm problems (arrhythmias)

Visit the official Heart Centre Biobank, a provincial and international research network aimed at improving outcomes in heart disease through enhanced prevention and treatment.

Information coming soon.

Information coming soon.

Learn more about pulmonary hypertension.