Pediatric Centers of Excellence
Pediatric Heart Center
Pediatric cardiology and CT surgery are well-established clinical strengths of WVU Children’s Hospital. A multi-disciplinary team of pediatric cardiologists, surgeons, intensivists, cardiac anesthesiologists, residents, fellows, nurses, perfusionists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants work in a coordinated fashion to care for children with complex congenital birth defects of the heart, lung, trachea, diaphragm, and esophagus.
Our six pediatric cardiologists offer a full range of diagnosis and treatment, including tilt table, radio frequency ablation, pacemakers, and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. The section is led by Larry Rhodes, a fellowship-trained pediatric cardiologist who specializes in adult patients who have survived congenital heart disease. The section includes Arpy Ballian, MD; William Javier Castillo, MD; Todd Gudausky, MD; William Neal, MD; and John R. Phillips, MD. The range of expertise in our pediatric cardiology team is unmatched in the region.
The Children’s Preventive Cardiology Clinic provides consultative services for children who have severe dyslipidemia. A multidisciplinary clinic team includes pediatric cardiologists, nutrition counselors, exercise physiologists, and genetic counselors. Also, separate pacemaker and arrhythmia clinics are held for pediatric patients.
To further improve the health of the region, we conduct pediatric cardiology outreach clinics in six WV cities – Beckley, Huntington, Lewisburg, Martinsburg, Parkersburg, and Wheeling.
Our pediatric cardiac surgery program, under the direction of Robert A. Gustafson, MD, performs more than 350 procedures a year and is the only program offering cardiac surgery for children in the state. The pediatric cardiothoracic service also performs general thoracic procedures on children, including repair of complex chest wall deformities, esophageal fistula, reflux esophagitis and congenital tracheal stenosis.