Cardiovascular Surgery

Providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art heart care.

Rady Children's Cardiovascular/Cardiothoracic program currently performs more than 500 cardiovascular operations a year, exclusively for the treatment of congenital heart defects. Complemented by leading programs in pediatric electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, prenatal/pediatric cardiac diagnostics and affiliated high-risk obstetrics, the Cardiovascular Surgery program provides an integrated approach to the treatment of the full spectrum of complex congenital heart problems from the newborn to the adult.

In its 2011-12 edition of "Best Children's Hospitals," U.S. News & World Report ranks our Cardiology & Heart Surgery program as one of the nation's best in Heart Surgery.

Dedicated pediatric cardiac anesthesia, operating room and intensive care nursing teams, ICU teams, in-house perfusion, social workers, and family liaisons work together to provide a compassionate, coordinated approach to optimize outcomes, family and referring physician involvement, and satisfaction.

Areas of special concentration include:

• The surgical treatment of complex newborn heart defects, such as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
• Complex anatomic corrections of obsolete palliations in the previously operated child or adult
• Integration of catheter-based therapies with surgery to reduce risk
• Integration of advanced electrophysiologic testing, arrhythmia ablation and surgery
• Minimally invasive and cosmetic approaches to open heart surgery, where appropriate

Through the Heart Institute at Rady Children's, our program participates in the science and evidence-based advancement of pediatric cardiovascular surgery:

• The Heart Institute is an overarching organization aimed at integrating and coordinating the programs of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, research and education, further advancing the knowledge of the field and the advancement of the national stature of the program.
• Numerous clinical trials are underway at Rady Children’s toward advancing the understanding and application of pharmacologic interventions, surgical devices and catheter-delivered interventions in the treatment of children with congenital heart defects.
• Clinical data and outcomes are collected and analyzed with the computer-based International Clinical Outcomes Database CardioAccess.
• Rady Children’s is a participating center for the Congenital Heart Surgeons Society's (CHSS) ongoing multi-institutional study of outcomes and practices.
• Clinical pathways are under ongoing refinement to optimize efficacy and length of stay for patients undergoing heart surgery at Rady Children’s.