Pediatric Cardiology

Program Description: 

After the establishment of pediatric cardiology ward in 1971, the independent education of pediatric cardiologists began in 1976 by a number of professors who had returned home after the completion of the relevant subspecialty in the U.S. and since then, the pediatric cardiology secured a place among other academic disciplines. Due to the increasing growth of population, increased number of patients, changing patterns of diseases, technological changes, and the subsequent changes in the educational conditions and needs, it was necessary to revise the curriculum after three and a half decades of its formal education. Therefore, a committee was appointed to develop a new curriculum. By utilizing the curricula of accredited universities around the world and the experts’ experiences and opinions, this curriculum was developed to be issued to the executive universities after the approval of the legal authorities.

Definition:

Pediatric cardiology is a subspecialty of pediatrics involving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of congenital and acquired cardiovascular diseases in children and adolescents, as well as the fetal heart diseases. After passing the official exam successfully and submitting the thesis, the graduates of this course will receive a fellowship degree.

Objectives:

The mission of this course is to train diligent, knowledgeable, competent, efficient, and committed pediatric cardiologists who make their best efforts in the areas of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, education, and research and play their educational and professional role in providing health care.

General competencies expected of the graduates include: 
• Communication Skills 
• Education 
• Research and the scientific writing 
• Critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Professionalism

Procedural skills (diagnostic-therapeutic procedures): 
• ECG
• M mode, 2D color-Doppler echocardiography
• 3D and 4D echocardiography 
• Intraoperative and postoperative echocardiography 
• Stress Echocardiography 
• Contrast Echocardiography 
• Fetal echocardiography 
• Echocardiography during interventional procedures
• Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
• Diagnostic catheterization and angiography
• Cardiac MRI, CT Angio (as a teamwork with radiologists)
• Performing EPS
• Valvuloplasty of pulmonary valve
• Aortic valvuloplasty
• Recoarctation angioplasty
• Primary angioplasty for native coarctation of the aorta
• Cardiac biopsy

Duration:

Duration of this course is 36 months (3 years).