Heart Center

Our program serves children from all over Georgia, the U.S. and around the world. We combine our expertise and experience, advanced technology and research, and compassionate care to treat all kinds of pediatric cardiac conditions.

Trust us to care for your child

• Ranked one of the top pediatric heart and heart surgery programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
• Our surgical volumes are some of the highest in the country, with excellent survival rates and average lengths of stay shorter than national benchmarks.
• Our Cardiac Step-down Unit, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Cath Lab have earned gold-level and silver-level Beacon Awards for Excellence, respectively.
• We are a national referral center for cardiac services, treating thousands of children from across the U.S.

Pediatric heart conditions

As a top-ranked center for pediatric heart care, no one treats more heart problems in infants, children and teenagers in Georgia. Many of the heart conditions we treat are congenital, or present at birth. Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects and most have no known cause.

Heart conditions we treat include:

• Arrhythmia
• Atrial septal defect (ASD)
• Cardiomyopathy
• Chest pain
• Congestive heart failure
• Heart murmur
• Hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol)
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)

• Long QT syndrome
• Myocarditis
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Syncope
• Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)
• Transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
• Ventricular septal defect (VSD)

At Children’s, the quality of our care is our highest priority. We monitor our overall cardiac surgical outcomes and volumes to provide the most accurate information to patient families. It also allows us to identify areas for improvement. Our mission is to continually improve and help our heart patients live their best lives.

We report our outcomes to several databases, including the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4), C3PO/Impact, the National Pediatric Care Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). The STS has the largest congenital heart surgery database in the nation. Data is captured in STS by 100 hospitals as a way to compare outcomes between cardiac programs throughout the country. 

View our 2018 volumes and outcomes

For your child's heart, you will go to any length to receive specialized, high-quality care, and in the Atlanta area, you do not have to go far to find it. Children's is home to one of the top pediatric cardiac programs in the country, thanks to our committed team of specialists, advanced technology and compassionate family support. We are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top pediatric cardiac programs in the country.

Specialty programs and clinics

Our team of pediatric heart experts collaborates with other specialists to ensure that your child is receiving the best possible care. We work with you through every step, often from before your child is born to adulthood, so that you know what to expect and how to take the best care of your child.

• Aorta and Vascular Program
• Arrhythmia Program
• Cardiac Genetics Program
• Cardiothoracic (CT) Surgery Program
• Congenital Heart Center of Georgia
• Fetal Cardiology Program
• Heart Transplant Program
• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program
• Muscular Dystrophy Clinic

• Neurodevelopmental Program
• Preventive Cardiology Program
• Project S.A.V.E.
• Pulmonary Hypertension Program
• Sibley Heart Center Cardiology (Outpatient Clinics)
• Single Ventricle Program
• Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program

Learn about our cardiology fellowship program

Led by Paul Chai, MD, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Co-Chief of the Children's Heart Center, and William T. Mahle, MD, Co-Chief of the Children's Heart Center, our multidisciplinary team includes pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists, advance practice providers and pediatric cardiac nurses.

Leadership

• Paul Chai, MD, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Co-Chief of the Children's Heart Center
• William Mahle, MD, Co-Chief of the Children's Heart Center

Cardiothoracic Surgery

• Paul Chai, MD
• Kirk Kanter, MD
• Subhadra Shashidharan, MD
• Fawwaz Shaw, MD
• Kimberly Woodall, CPNP
• Melanie McBrayer, CPNP

Sibley Cardiology

• William Mahle, MD
• Alaa Aljiffry, MD
• Ian Balfour, MD
• Asaad Beshish, MD
• Holly Bauser-Heaton, MD, PhD
• Wesley Blackwood, MD
• William Border, MD
• Arene Butto, MD
• Robert Campbell, MD
• Brian Cardis, MD
• Nikhil Chanani, MD
• Martha Clabby, MD
• Shanelle Clarke, MD
• Angel Cuadrado, MD
• Andrew Dodgen, MD
• Matthew Ferguson, MD
• Peter Fischbach, MD
• Alice Hales-Kharazmi, MD
• William Ham, MD
• Brandon Harden, MD
• Susan Hupp, MD
• Glen Iannucci, MD
• Shannon Jones, MD
• Usama Kanaan, MD
• Dennis Kim, MD, PhD
• Lazaros Kochilas, MD
• Brooke Lewis, MD
• Clifford Wesley Lindsey, MD

• Kevin Maher, MD
• Chad Mao, MD
• Michael McConnell, MD
• Meghann McKane, MD
• Erik Michelfelder, MD
• Matthew Oster, MD
• Christopher Petit, MD
• Heather Phelps, DO
• Fred Rodriguez, MD
• Ritu Sachdeva, MD
• Denver Sallee, MD
• Cyrus Samai, MD
• Timothy Slesnick, MD
• Nanci Stauffer, MD
• John Stevens Jr, MD
• Divya Suthar, MD
• Benjamin Toole, MD
• Heather Viamonte, MD
• Neill Videlefsky, MD
• Robert Vincent, MD
• Michelle Wallace, MD
• Timotheus Watson, MD
• Stephanie Wechsler, MD
• Robert Whitehill, MD
• Emily Williams, MD
• Michael Wolf, MD

• Cardiac call center: Available 24/7, the Cardiac Call Center provides one phone number parents, families, doctors, case managers and caregivers to call for all their needs. Call 404-256-2593 or 800-542-2233 outside Georgia.
• Training for teens: This interactive computer-based training teaches teens how to care for their heart as they move to adulthood.
• Information for families and visitors: Our goal is for kids and families to always feel comfortable at Children’s and to be informed and involved in care decisions. In addition to our specialized cardiac care, we also offer family-centered support for families while they are in our care and in the community.
• Ronald McDonald House: Many families travel great distances for care at the Sibley Heart Center. To meet their needs, the Ronald McDonald House is conveniently located near Egleston to provide temporary housing during their time at Children's.

Family support services

We understand that having a child with a heart condition can be overwhelming and life-changing for the whole family. In addition to our specialized cardiac care, we also offer family-centered support for families while they are in our care and in the community.

• Kids at Heart: Families coping with congenital heart defects come together through special events, seminars and more to share their experiences created by a common bond.
• Camp Braveheart: Each summer, children and teens with a heart condition or who have undergone a heart transplant have the opportunity to attend a camp tailored to their specific needs.
• Feed the Heart: For some patients at the Cardiac Step-Down Unit, the length of time they are hospitalized can range from days to weeks or even months. This volunteer-based initiative provides meals for cardiac patients and their families during their hospital stay.
• Heartstrong: Anyone can be a part of our Heartstrong community—to be Heartstrong means you are passionate about the care and treatment of people with congenital heart defects.