What is the cardio-oncology clinic?
At Children’s Minnesota, your child’s heart health during and after their cancer treatment is important to us. Our pediatric cardio-oncology clinic brings together heart and cancer experts to prevent and treat heart issues in children, teens and young adults who have undergone cancer treatment.
The cardio-oncology clinic is a specialized partnership between heart (cardiology) and cancer (oncology) experts. Our goal is to provide a “safety net” for your child’s cardiovascular system. By working directly with your child’s oncology team, we ensure your child can receive the most effective cancer therapies while proactively monitoring their heart and blood vessels during and after treatment.
Comprehensive heart support
Modern cancer treatments are very effective, but they can sometimes put stress on the heart or blood vessels. We see patients for several reasons:
- Prevention: Checking heart health before treatment starts to create a baseline.
- Monitoring: Watching the heart closely during treatment to catch any tiny changes early.
- Survivorship care: Caring for “graduates” of cancer treatment to ensure their hearts stay healthy as they grow into adulthood.
Services and conditions we manage
Our team is trained to monitor and treat a variety of heart-related needs, including:
- Heart function checks: Using tests like electrocardiograms (EKGs), echocardiograms, exercise stress and cardiac MRIs to see how well the heart is functioning.
- Managing side effects: Treating things like high blood pressure, changes in heart rhythm and/or function that can sometimes happen during or after chemotherapy.
- Heart-healthy lifestyle coaching: We will partner with you to discuss daily habits that keep your child’s heart strong during and after treatment.
For appointments
Your child may be referred to the cardio-oncology clinic by their oncology provider.
Please call: 612-813-8800.
Meet our pediatric cardiologist
Luke Schroeder, MD, brings specialized expertise to Children’s Minnesota, with a focus on managing the heart health of pediatric patients during and after chemotherapy. He successfully established a pediatric cardio-oncology program at his previous institution. His clinical work is backed by a commitment to quality improvement and the best possible outcomes for children with complex heart needs.
