Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Lab

The early years of the Mayo Clinic cardiac catheterization laboratory represents an extremely exciting developmental era in the field of congenital heart disease. The subsequent course of its development continues to show a progressive drive to academic clinical and research excellence in the management of congenital heart disease. This basis of this progress has been the heritage of early leaders such as Drs. John Kirklin, James DuShane, Earl Wood, and Donald Ritter. This congenital heart disease section endeavors to develop this amazing story of an exciting era on cardiac catheterization and intervention. The foundations of a profound physiologic background in oximetry, indicator dilution curves, precise hemodynamic studies, and complete, high-resolution angiography studies have set the basis for catheterization studies to allow accurate and successful surgical repair of complex congenital heart defects. Currently this platform continues to provide the basis for interventional catheterization management of the wide spectrum of congenital heart disease from the preemie with large patent ductus arteriosus to the older adult Fontan patient with progressive heart failure.