Dr. Cecilio Cruz Lopez, MD

Dr. Leo Lopez, is one of a handful of the nation's most skilled echocardiologists. He performs non-invasive ultrasound studies that provide detailed, real-time images of your child's heart. Since beginning his career in 1994, Dr. Lopez has performed more than 26,000 echo imaging studies. In addition to his busy practice, Dr. Lopez oversees CHAM's non-invasive imaging program that includes transesophogeal echocardiography, fetal echocardiography, cardiac CT and cardiac MRI for your child.

Before his recent recruitment to CHAM, Dr. Lopez served as Director of Pediatric Echocardiography at Miami Children's Hospital (MCH). Dr. Lopez's exacting echo studies contributed to MCH's reduced surgical mortality rates: During Dr. Lopez's tenure at MCH, pediatric cardiac surgical mortality fell from 5%-the national average-to less than 2%.

"To get to that goal of less than 2% surgical mortality," notes Dr. Lopez, "every piece of information for the surgeon is crucial." Dr. Lopez aims to …establish extraordinarily low surgical mortality rates at CHAM with support from CHAM'S soon-to-open $6 million Pediatric Heart Center.

At CHAM, Dr. Lopez works with the latest echocardiographic equipment to produce and analyze comprehensive cardiac imaging studies. Three-dimensional echo imaging allows him to safely explore hidden surfaces, vessels, chambers and valves inside and outside your child's beating heart.

Partnering with your child's cardiac surgeon and cardiologist in the operating room, Dr. Lopez identifies and examines previously unseen defects, blockages and up-to-the-minute changes in your child's heart function.

The exacting detail in the images created by Dr. Lopez help your child's cardiac specialists make informed decisions about surgical choices, catheter interventions and crucial medical therapy.

Dr. Lopez is dedicated to working closely with CHAM's echosonography team to provide them with advanced training opportunities. He considers echo technicians "heroes-on a daily basis," he says. "If it weren't for the details the echo techs get," notes Dr. Lopez, "a lot of kids might have much more complicated pre-operative issues-because someone didn't figure out the details."

"You can't not devote 150% of your energy," says Dr. Lopez, "when a child is really sick."

Dr. Lopez's has special clinical interests in ventricular function and quality improvement in cardiac imaging.