For Referring Physicians

The American Heart Association recommends that children with congenital heart disease (CHD) receive periodic neurodevelopmental evaluations and management. They recommend scheduling evaluations at 3 years, 5 years, and 8 years, or as proposed by a developmental team. This recommendation has been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

We welcome all new referrals of children with congenital heart disease, as well as those who are Stanford Infant Developmental Specialty Program (IDSP) graduates. The following are eligibility criteria:

• Neonates or infants requiring open-heart surgery.
• Neonates or infants with cyanotic heart lesions not requiring open-heart surgery.
• Any combination of CHD and the following comorbidities:
  • Prematurity (≤ 37 weeks’ gestation).
  • Developmental delay recognized in infancy.
  • Suspected genetic abnormality or syndrome associated with developmental delay.
  • History of mechanical support (ECMO or VAD use).
  • Heart transplantation.
  • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation at any point
  • Prolonged hospitalization (postoperative LOS ≥ two weeks in the hospital).
  • Perioperative seizures related to CHD surgery.
  • Significant abnormalities on neuroimaging or microcephaly.
• Other conditions determined at the discretion of the medical home providers.

To refer a pediatric patient with complex congenital heart disease to us, please fax our Referral Center at (650) 721-2884. For more information, call us at (650) 497-3899 or email us directly at cardiacneuro@stanfordchildrens.org.

If you have access to the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Epic system, place an outpatient order for “ambulatory referral” to the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program.