Services

Outpatient clinic

Convenient, coordinated care

The Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) program offers a patient-centered approach to health and healing. Our convenient locations and specialized staff allow us to provide the care and services you need, when you need it.

Continuity-of-care

The ACHD Program’s Transition Clinic helps adolescent patients move from pediatric to adult-focused health care. We make the process easy for the patient and family by providing personalized guidance and follow-up.

Diagnostics

At the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute, advanced imaging technology is combined with the expertise of a pediatric cardiologist to help physicians plan treatment for adult patients with congenital heart defects.

Access to the cardiac CT and cardiac MRI at the Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute represents an important aspect of the collaborative effort to care for adult CHD patients. The advanced imaging technology at MHI allows for substantially lower radiation exposure and eliminates the need for intubation of patients.

The ACHD Program also performs echocardiograms and exercise testing to help diagnose and treat ACHD patients.

Heart rhythm

The ACHD program is staffed by physicians who have subspecialty training in management of heart rhythms. The heart rhythm specialists will determine the best care plan and have access to the latest technology to provide successful and safe ablations. They also provide medical management for patients with complex arrhythmias, and the program offers monitoring and follow-up services throughout the state for patients with implantable devices.

Cardiac catherization/Interventional

The cardiovascular catheterization laboratory offers a variety of leading interventional treatments. Interventional cardiac catheterization is a non-surgical procedure that is increasingly used in diagnosing and treating congenital heart disease.

While non-invasive imaging tests, such as echocardiograms, cardiac MRIs and cardiac CTs are effective diagnostic tools, further testing may be required in order to better understand the problem. Cardiac catheterization allows the cardiologist to analyze the heart from within the structure itself. The catheter (a long, thin, flexible tube) is inserted into a blood vessel, usually through the groin or upper arm, where it is then guided to the heart. Once in the heart, the catheter can provide diagnostic information and deliver treatment devices.

Cardiovascular surgery

Some congenital heart diseases require no treatment, while others can be repaired or improved with surgery. The nationally recognized team specializes in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of heart disease and offers the full spectrum of congenital heart disease services and treatments.

Heart failure

Heart failure is one of the fastest growing health problems in the United States, with people of all ages experiencing its life-changing effects. In many cases, the right treatment can slow the progression of the disease and help those with heart failure live longer, more satisfying lives.

ACHD Program brings together a team that specializes in heart failure and understands how to manage it. Our team works closely with each patient, the patient's primary care doctor and the patient's family. This coordinated approach focuses on the individual needs of each patient and family and helps them live with heart failure more comfortably and easily.

Pulmonary hypertension

The Pulmonary Hypertension Program provides comprehensive assessment and management for all types of pulmonary hypertension. Our specialized team provides 24-hour care for outpatient and urgent inpatient support. This dedicated team of professionals is committed to providing exceptional care and in-depth assistance for all aspects of this unique disease process.

Treatment options range from FDA-approved oral, inhaled, injectable and continuous IV therapies to involvement in research protocols from the latest clinical trials.