What To Expect After Pediatric Heart Surgery

After your child’s surgery, expect close observation and monitoring from a specialized pediatric heart team at University Children’s Health Congenital Heart Center.

We are committed to keeping your family informed throughout the entire process by educating you about your child’s heart surgery, providing updates during the procedure and staying in regular communication after discharge to ensure a smooth recovery.

Advanced Monitoring After Heart Surgery

Your child will stay in the pediatric cardiac care unit (PCCU) for monitoring after heart surgery. Expect compassionate, attentive care from our PCCU team during recovery.

We check your child’s:

• Blood pressure
• Heart rate and rhythm
• Amount of oxygen in the blood
• Breathing rate

The intensive care staff and nurses will:

• Closely monitor vital signs and blood pressure  
• Complete echocardiograms (ultrasounds) to evaluate heart function
• Monitor pain and give medications to help ease discomfort
• Perform X-rays
• Take blood tests