Comprehensive, Customized Care for Patients with MAPCAs
The Major Aortopulmonary Collateral Arteries Program at Cincinnati Children’s provides coordinated, comprehensive and individualized care for children born with this complex and rare congenital heart condition. Major Aortopulmonary Collateral Arteries (MAPCAs) present with a broad range of severity. The condition requires highly skilled care from experts across multiple specialties, including advanced imaging technologies, surgical and transcatheter interventions.
We offer personalized, family-centered care and management. This begins with your child’s diagnosis before birth and continues throughout their lifetime.
Early Intervention Matters
Children with certain congenital heart defects may develop MAPCAs. These abnormal blood vessels grow from the aorta or its branches and connect to the pulmonary arteries. We use advanced imaging techniques to assess your child’s condition. And we’ll create a personalized treatment plan based on their heart anatomy.
We use a nonsurgical catheter procedure to help pulmonary arteries grow in infancy. When your child is 8 to 12 months old, the vessels are usually developed enough for reconstruction. Our surgeons repair the pulmonary arteries and MAPCAs. We may repair other congenital heart conditions during the same procedure. We monitor your child at regular intervals to give them the best long-term outcomes.
Why Choose Cincinnati Children's
Expert Team of Specialists
Your child will receive comprehensive care from a broad team. Every patient is different and may require care from a variety of doctors. We partner with many specialists.
Our multidisciplinary team includes experts in:
- Cardiac catheterization
- Cardiac imaging
- Cardiology
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Care coordination
- Critical care cardiology
- Genetic counseling
- Interventional cardiology
- Noninvasive imaging
- Nursing
- Nutrition counseling
- Radiology
- Ultrasonography
We provide seamless coordination between imaging, interventional and surgical teams.
Advanced Imaging Techniques for Personalized Care
We use high-resolution diagnostic tools to guide precision treatment. Our advanced imaging includes 3D modeling and virtual reality platforms. These technologies build detailed anatomical views of the heart and MAPCAs. The models map out precise pre-surgical plans. This creates a truly personalized strategy for your child’s procedure.
Proactive Care Coordination
As one of the nation’s few comprehensive MAPCA programs, we serve as a referral center for families from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, and beyond. Many of our patients live outside the Cincinnati area, so after surgery at Cincinnati Children’s, our MAPCAs team works closely with your local care providers to coordinate ongoing care. Our strong partnerships with healthcare centers throughout the Midwest ensure you can safely and confidently return home, supported by a connected network of experts.
Commitment to Improving Quality
We continually work to improve MAPCAs care outcomes at the regional, national and international levels. Our commitment begins with a fetal diagnosis and continues throughout a child’s life.
Family-Centered Care
We believe that the best way to care for children is to make the family part of the health care team. All patient rooms have the ability to host a family member who can stay with the child. Additionally, the Ronald McDonald House provides overnight accommodations, meals and activities for families with patients traveling to Cincinnati. They are located directly next to our Burnet Campus.
