Pediatric Heart Surgery

Our pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons are board certified in thoracic surgery and congenital cardiac surgery. They have extensive experience in treating the most complex heart conditions.

Our surgeons provide advanced surgical options with the highest standard of care for patients with congenital heart defects from newborn to adult.  

Congenital Heart Center of Excellence

Insurance providers Optum, Aetna and Superior HealthPlan Insurance have designated University Children’s Health Congenital Heart Center a center of excellence for pediatric congenital heart surgery.

University Children’s Health Congenital Heart Center has a dedicated pediatric cardiothoracic surgical operating room and pediatric cardiac care unit reserved for the care of children with cardiothoracic surgical needs.

Treatments & Surgeries

More than half of children born with congenital heart disease will require open-heart surgery at some point. If your child requires heart surgery, our congenital heart center will schedule a pre-surgery consultation to discuss your child’s diagnosis and treatment needs. Your child’s treatment may include medications to help the heart work better before and after surgery.

Open-Heart Surgery

The pediatric heart surgeons at University Health are leaders in their field. They are compassionate members of your child’s care team and will do what they can to ensure your child gets the best chance at recovery.

Our surgeons perform a full range of heart surgeries, including:

• Surgical palliation for children with single ventricle hearts including:
  • Norwood
  • Glenn
  • Fontan
• Tetralogy of Fallot repair
• Closure of holes within the heart
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation
• Valve replacement
• Conduit replacement
• Aortic arch repair
• Arterial switch
• Coronary artery abnormality repair
• Repair of anomalous pulmonary venous return
• AV Canal repair
• Truncus arteriosus repair
• Pacemaker placement

We know that heart surgery can be scary for your child and your family. We are here for you to answer all of your questions and put your mind at ease.

Pain Prevention During Surgery

Our dedicated pediatric cardiac anesthesia team is fellowship trained and double board certified. We use the most appropriate anesthesia for your child’s surgery. Their expertise is utilized in the operating room, catheterization lab, as well as in the intensive care units providing 24-hour coverage for any child on the cardiac service who is in need of anesthetic specialty care.

Recovery After Surgery

Our specialized dedicated pediatric cardiac care unit (PCCU) staff are committed to take excellent care of your child after surgery and until discharge home.